28-09-2021

tuesday

Dhaka: September 28, 2021; ashwin 13, 1428 BS; Safar 20,1443 hijri

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's

75th birthday today

DHAKA : The 75th birthday of Prime Minister and Bangladesh

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will be celebrated across

the country today. Sheikh Hasina, the eldest among the five children

of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman and Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, was born at

Tungipara in Gopalganj on September 28 in 1947.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is now in the USA as she went

there to join the 76th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Following the footprint of Bangabandhu, she also delivered

speech in Bangla at the UNGA like the previous years.

This year the UN-sponsored Sustainable Development Solutions

Network (SDSN) has conferred Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with

"SDG Progress Award" for Bangladesh's steady course in responding

to the universal call to take action to end poverty, protect the planet

and ensure peace and prosperity for all. The event's moderator

introduced Sheikh Hasina as the "jewel in the crown of the day"

while appreciating her leadership in spearheading the SDG campaign

even during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Rohingya Repatriation

Int'l community urged

to take concrete actions

DHAKA : Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has called

on the international community including the UK to take

concrete actions for creation of a conducive environment in

Myanmar for sustainable return of Rohingyas to their

homeland in Rakhine State, reports UNB.

Lord Ahmad, British State Minister for Foreign Affairs for

South Asia, United Nations and the Commonwealth met the

Foreign Minister at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh

in New York recently and discussed various issues including

the Rohingya crisis. In the meeting, the issue of climate

change was also discussed.

Foreign Minister Momen suggested that Bangladesh as

the President of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) and

UK as the President of COP26 might jointly hold an event on

the sidelines of COP26 in Glasgow.

Foreign Minister Momen also apprised Lord Ahmad of

the steps taken by Bangladesh in the area of mitigation and

adaptation.

He suggested that private sector of UK could invest in different

environment-friendly projects in Bangladesh, including

in electrification of the conventional railway.

Some universities do not following

financial discipline:UGC

Shafiqul iSlam (Shafiq)

Bangladesh University Grants

Commission (UGC) Chairman

Professor Dr. Kazi Shahidullah said

that the financial discipline of some

universities in the country is not

being followed properly. He suggested

spending money in universities as

per the guidelines of the government

and UGC to overcome this problem.

He said any institution, including a

public university, needs a good financial

discipline to run smoothly. Cause

the success of any organization

depends on financial discipline.

Therefore, work is underway to formulate

a uniform financial policy to

bring financial discipline in the university.

He was speaking as the chief

guest at the inaugural function of a

two-day workshop on 'Budgeting and

Implementation of Public

Universities' held at UGC on Monday

(September 27). UGC member

Professor Md. Prof. Dr. Abu Taher

presided over the workshop. UGC

member Professor Dr. Sajjad

Hossain, Professor Dr. Muhammad

Alamgir, Professor Biswajit Chanda

and UGC secretary (additional

responsibilities) Dr. Ferdous Zaman

addressed the function as the special

guest. Heads of finance and accounting

departments and budget officers

of 5 public universities participated in

the workshop.

UGC chairman Kazi Shahidullah

said the law should not be abused for

anyone's personal interest in the university.

You can't bow to pressure at

any level.

Action will be taken against those

found guilty of misapplying the law,

subject to investigation. The running

of the university must comply with

the existing laws, regulations and

policies of the government and the

UGC. He called on the vice-chancellors

to create an environment in which the

www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www.bangladeshtoday.net

registrars, directors and controllers of

the finance and accounting departments

of the university could work

independently.

He said the unauthorized manpower

recruitment in public universities

should be stopped. Temporary, master

roll, ad hoc, contract and daily wage

based jobs will have to be discontinued.

Irregular seating allowance cannot be

given. If someone has paid a salary

allowance for a post outside these rules,

they (the university) will have to pay

this amount.

Other speakers at the meeting suggested

not spending money from one

sector to another, not allocating

money to unnecessary sectors,

spending money at the right time,

increasing the university's own

income, forming a syndicate with the

above persons. In addition, the

speakers called for conducting admission

test in cluster system in all the

universities of the country from next

academic year and reducing the

application fee for admission test.

Zohr

SSC exams to begin on

Nov 14, HSC on Dec 2

TBT RepoRT

The much-awaited Secondary School

Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary

Certificate (HSC) and their equivalent

examinations will begin on November 14

and December 2 respectively, maintaining

health protocols.

The Directorate of Secondary and

Higher Secondary Education unveiled the

schedules for the two public examinations

on Monday. This year, the two public

examinations could not be held as per

schedules due to the Covid-19 pandemic

and the govt decided to hold the examinations

with shortened syllabuses. The examinations

will be held with short syllabuses

on three elective subjects on group basis,

and 24 assignments will be given for SSC

students while 30 assignments for HSC

students before the examinations,

Education Minister Dipu Moni said in July.

No assignment will be given on Bangla,

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11:55 PM

04:10 PM

05:54 PM

07:10 PM

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Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.19; N o. 152; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00

English and other compulsory subjects and

the 4th subjects, she said. According to the

exam schedules, the SSC and its equivalent

examinations will end on November 23 while

that of HSC on December 30.

Earlier on July 15, Education Minister

Dipu Moni hinted that the SSC, HSC and

their equivalent examinations will be held

either in the second week of November or

the first week of December this year maintaining

health guidelines if the Covid-19 situation

improves in Bangladesh. Educational

institutions across the country had

remained shut since March last year due to

the Covid-19 pandemic and the closure was

extended several times.

Finally, the government reopened the

schools and colleges on September 13 following

a marked improvement in the Covid-19

situation. Last year's HSC examinees were

evaluated on the basis of their results of JSC

and SSC exams, a decision which received a

mixed reaction.

Angry ride-sharing

biker sets bike on

fire in Dhaka

DHAKA : A ride-sharing biker set fire to

his bike as a traffic police 'attempted to

fine him' on Badda-Gulshan link road in

the capital on Monday, reports UNB.

The incident occurred around 9:30

am when Shawkat Hossain, 40,was

waiting on the road near Janata

Insurance building with others for customers.

Traffic sergeant Debopriya went

to Shawkat and sought papers from him

to check those. At one stage, Shawkat got

furious and set his bike afire.

When local people tried to extinguish

the blaze, he obstructed them.

Later, he was taken to Badda Police

Station where Shawkat said that he was

depressed as he had suffered huge losses

in business due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Then he got engaged in ride-sharing

service to survive, said assistant commissioner

of Traffic (Badda zone) of the

Dhaka Metropolitan Police Subir

Chandra Das.

TuESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

2

The Premier Bank Limited has signed a participation agreement with Bangladesh Bank recently at

the Department of Off-Site Supervision, Bangladesh Bank for Refinance Scheme to the cinema hall

owners for Renovation & Modernization of Existing Cinema Halls and Construction of New Cinema

Halls. Md. Anwarul Islam, General Manager; Md. Aminur Rahman Chowdhury, Deputy General

Manager; Tonmoy Saha, Joint Director of the Department of Off-Site Supervision were present at

the ceremony on behalf of Bangladesh Bank M. Reazul Karim, FCMA, Managing Director & CEO;

Sayed Abul Hashem, FCA, FCMA, DMD & CFO; Anisul Kabir, SEVP & CCO attended the ceremony on

behalf of The Premier Bank Limited.

Photo : Courtesy

GD-1416/21 (6x4)

S.L

No.

Name of the Tender

Tender ID

Type

Method

Last Date &

Time of

Selling

Documents

Last Date &

Time of

Submission

Documents

GD-1419/21 (7x4)

GD-1412/21 (7x4)

GD-1413/21 (12x4)

TuESDAy, SEPTEMBEr 28, 2021

4

Happy Birthday to Sheikh Hasina!

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Thoughts on World

Tourism Day

Bangladesh observed the World Tourism Day on

Sunday. It was reported sometime ago that

Bangladesh has moved up from its 129th position to

123th position in the latest Travel and Tourism

Competitiveness Index compiled by the World Economic

Forum (WEF). This means progress of the country by six

points in this area which must be a matter of satisfaction by

all concerned. It points to the need for greater

promotional and developmental activities by both the

government and the private sector in this very promising

sector.

Tourism is the fastest growing service industry in the world.

Unlike many other economic sectors where foreign currency

retention is much less from the need to import raw materials

and other paraphernalia to support activities in these sectors

such as in the export-oriented garments industries of

Bangladesh, retention of foreign currency by a country from

tourism can be 90 per cent or more.

From this angle alone, it should be possible to realize the

need to exploit the prospects of tourism in Bangladesh.

There are all the opportunities for Bangladesh to reap the

bonanza from tourism and open a rich new source of foreign

currency earnings for the country, plus create wealth, income

and jobs on a large scale provided policies are executed in

time.

Millions of foreign tourists visit neighbouring India . If

only 20 per cent of these tourists who come to India can be

persuaded to visit Bangladesh , then the latter can earn some

100 million dollars annually and that too in the short term

with possibilities of such income to grow much higher

progressively. This would be a big input to its national

economy and also a source of significant economic growth.

Ritualistic meetings and seminars are organized in

Bangladesh on the occasion of the World Tourism Day . But

regretfully, the ones who grace these functions fail to inform

what actual steps have been taken so far to facilitate a master

plan for tourism's development . The planning exercise is

primary but leaving the plans unimplemented for long also

makes no sense.

This is specially so when the private sector in Bangladesh

and also foreign investors are showing a great deal of interest

to invest in the tourism sector . The guidelines for investment

of the private sector in tourism should be declared as the

same is indispensable to encourage the mobilization of

private investment efforts in the first place. The functioning

of the lone government body, the Bangladesh Parjatan

Corporation (BPC), is also not up to the mark.

The development of tourism in Bangladesh essentially

involves government's greater activism by embarking on

implementation of plans and creating a policy environment

to be considered as helpful by the private sector. The

activities of foreign missions of Bangladesh and other bodies

need to be coordinated with the aim of dispelling negative

publicities about Bangladesh. Specially, these strategies will

have to be selectively applied to motivate a part of the huge

number of tourists who come to India to also come to

Bangladesh.

The existence of some world heritage sites in Bangladesh

and spots for eco-tourism such as the Sunderbans and Cox

Bazar, will have to be highlighted in innovative ways to draw

the attention of foreign tourists. Government should decrease

the amount of VAT and other charges that tourism related

private sector organizations have to pay.

The same concessions and more will increase the net of

tourists from both internal and external sources. A short term

plan should be executed immediately by the government to

improve connectivity to the recognized tourist sites.

Infrastructures should be built there and security of tourists

ensured.

Last year, I had a talk with a lady from Uzbekistan. She did

her Masters in tourism from Scotland, and spent three years

in Malaysia, working there as a teacher. I asked her how she

would compare Bangladesh with Malaysia from the tourism

perspective. She said: "What does Malaysia have except some

beaches? But Bangladesh has so many tourism attractions." I

don't know whether she was trying to make me happy, but I

agree with her on the point that Bangladesh has so many

world-class eco-tourism attractions.

It appears our conception about the development of

tourism in the country is not clear. We want to develop

tourism in Bangladesh so that the country can earn foreign

exchange from the tourists who will come to visit our country.

But nowadays different organisations often organise

tourism fairs in Bangladesh, in which mainly outbound tour

packages are sold. But sending tourists from Bangladesh to

other countries cannot be treated as the development of

tourism in our country.

These fairs are sellers' fairs in character from the

perspective of Bangladesh because the foreign exhibitors or

their counterparts in Bangladesh sell outbound tour

packages, and only a few offer domestic tour packages.

Instead of helping the country to earn foreign currency

through tourism, the sellers' fairs help in depletion of the

foreign exchange reserve of the country.

We need buyers' fairs, where foreign buyers (travel agents)

will come to Bangladesh to get offers of tour packages, so that

they may send tourists to our country. If we cannot arrange

this type of fair, then it is better for our country that we refrain

from organising sellers' fairs. With limited foreign exchange

reserve, Bangladesh cannot have the luxury of encouraging

its people to go for holidays outside the country. Anybody has

the legal right to organise a sellers' tourism fair; but they must

not say that they are organising this sort of fair for the

development of tourism in the country. Let us be more

practical about the development of tourism in the country; let

us develop it in the true sense, so that it contributes valuable

foreign exchange to our state coffer, and help to develop the

economy of the country. We note with satisfaction the

building of the Cox's Bazar-Teknaf Marine Drive and some

other developmental activities in the tourism sector in recent

years. It is the longest of its type in the world. While

appreciating these completed projects , we also urge on the

government to maintain and add to momentum in these

activities to soon realize more and more the untapped

potentials of the tourism sector in Bangladesh.

Today is the

birthday of Prime

Minister Sheikh

Hasina, the eldest

daughter of

Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman, the father

of the Bengali nation. She was born on

September 28, 1947 in the village of

Tungipara. Her father Sheikh Mujib

was then busy in Calcutta with the postpartition

political situation, riot

prevention, and education.

Sheikh Hasina's life began with the

affection and blessings of her

grandparents. Grandfather named her

'Hasina'. On hearing the news of the

birth, the father suddenly came home

one day, took the girl in his arms, called

her 'Hachumoni', expressed his

happiness and painted a kiss on her

forehead.

The little 'Hachumoni', the princess of

Bangabandhu, became the beloved

leader of the people of Bangladesh

today and gradually established herself

as a world leader. She spent her

childhood listening to the sound of the

rivers and canals of the village and the

smell of green nature. That is where her

educational life began.

After Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was

elected a member of the Provincial

Council (MPA) in the 1954 elections, he

took his family to Dhaka. They family

started living in Bose lane of old Dhaka.

After being elected a member of the

United Front cabinet, the residence was

shifted to the official residence at 3

Minto Road.

In 1956, Sheikh Hasina was admitted

to the Narishiksha Mandir Girls' School

in Tikatuli. She started living in her

house on the historic 32, Road in

Dhanmondi on 1 October 1961. At this

time Sheikh Hasina passed the

secondary examination from Azimpur

Girls School in 1965.

She passed higher secondary in 1967

from the former Intermediate

Government Girls College (now

Badrunnesa Government Women's

College) in Bakshi Bazar, Dhaka. While

studying in the college, she was elected

as the Vice-Chairperson (VP) of the

College Students' Parliament. In the

same year she was admitted to Dhaka

University.

Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh

Hasina is the builder of modern

Bangladesh. She initiated the motto of a

developed and prosperous digital

Bangladesh. Today, Bangladesh has

evolved from a least developed country

to a developing country under the

leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina's intellect, honesty, dedication,

competence, wisdom, efficiency,

creativity, liberal democratic outlook

and visionary leadership. The once socalled

'bottomless basket' is plagued by

poverty-famine. Bangladesh has had to

struggle to survive under the welfareoriented

leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

That Bangladesh is constantly moving

forward in the new journey of world

conquest. Today, Bangladesh has been

established as a self-respecting nation

in the world assembly. Born into a

political family, Sheikh Hasina,

daughter of Bangabandhu, started her

career in politics from a young age. In

school, college and university life, as the

leader of Chhatra League, the largest

student organization in East Pakistan at

that time, she actively participated in

the anti-Ayub movement and the 6-

point movement.

The 6-point demand raised by

Bangabandhu in 1966 created an

unprecedented mass uprising in the

then East Pakistan. Frightened, the

ruling party arrested Bangabandhu.

Intense repression-torture-oppression

began. The Agartala conspiracy case

was filed by the Pakistani ruling party

against Bangabandhu while he was in

custody. Deep fear, uncertainty and

unbearable misery descended on his life

and family. In these stormy days,

Sheikh Hasina got married with nuclear

scientist Dr. M. A.Wazed Mia on

November 17, 1967 in the interest of her

imprisoned father. Shortly after their

marriage, the 11-point movement of the

Bengali nation and the mass uprising of

'69 began. On the night of March 25,

1971, when Bangabandhu was arrested

by the Pak-Hanadar forces and taken to

Karachi, Pakistan, Bangabandhu's

entire family was kept under house

arrest in a different houses in Dhaka.

During the war of liberation, Sheikh

Hasina's first child SajeebWazed Joy

was born on 27 July 1971 while under

house arrest. After the victory in the war

of liberation on 17 December 1971, she

was released along with other members

of her family. On December 9, 1972, her

daughter Saima WazedPutul was born.

Sheikh Hasina graduated from Dhaka

University in 1973. On the night of 15

August 1975, Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman, the father of the

greatest Bengali nation of all time, was

killed along with his family by a brutal

bullet. Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh

Rehana, the daughters of

Bangabandhu, survived by the grace of

Allah.

She was elected president of the

Bangladesh Awami League at a critical

juncture of the nation through a historic

council session held at the Eden Hotel

in Dhaka on 14, 15 and 16 February

1981. The call came to take the helm of

Awami League, the largest political

party in the country.

Leader of the people Sheikh Hasina

returned home on May 17, 1981,

ignoring the bloodshed and

prohibitions of the military rulers. After

that, for 21 long years, there was a

continuous fearless struggle against the

military junta, dictatorship and

misrule. With the victory of the Awami

League in the 12 June 1996

parliamentary

elections,


Hasina was elected Prime Minister of

Bangladesh for the first time.

During her government, the historic

Ganges water sharing agreement was

signed with India. The Chittagong Hill

Tracts Peace Accord was executed.

Bangladesh achieves food selfsufficiency.

National growth exceeds

6.4 percent. Inflation fell to 1.59

percent. Poverty is reduced. Bangladesh

turned to every field including food,

education, health, agriculture, sports.

The first (1996-2001) reign of Sheikh

Hasina in the history of Bangladesh is

marked as the golden age of the post-75

era.

After the 2001 conspiracy and rigged

elections, the BNP-Jamaat evil alliance

took power.

At that time, the coalition government

established a reign of terror all over the

country through repression. 21

thousand party leaders and workers

were killed. On 21 August 2004, a

planned infernal grenade attack was

carried out at an Awami League peace

rally with the official support of the then

BNP-Jamaat alliance; Whose main goal

was to assassinate Sheikh Hasina.

Despite being seriously injured, Sheikh

Hasina survived by the grace of Allah.

However, 24 leaders and activists,

including Awami League leader Ivy

Rahman, were killed in the attack.

Numerous leaders and workers were

paralyzed forever.

Bangladesh became a valley of death.

With the help of the BNP-Jamaat

coalition government, there was a

massive rise of religious militants and

terrorists across the country. And the

fearless Sheikh Hasina stood against

their misrule.

The common people of Bengal came

down to the streets at her call. Despite

the end of the BNP-Jamaat coalition

government on 28 October 2006, BNP

President Iajuddin Ahmed himself took

over as chief adviser to the caretaker

government in violation of the

constitution.

The planning of the election and the

preparation of the election farce

continued under the direction of Hawa

Bhaban. Bangladesh roared. Leader of

the people Sheikh Hasina announced a

boycott of the elections. The mass

movement started. Illegal election was

canceled. Iajuddin was forced to resign

as chief adviser. A state of emergency

was declared. A new caretaker

government was formed under the

leadership of Fakhruddin Ahmed.

After 1/11 a new conspiracy began.

The 'minus two formula' was presented

to remove Sheikh Hasina from politics.

When Sheikh Hasina returned to the

country after her visit to the United

States and the United Kingdom, the

caretaker government illegally imposed

a ban.

But the brave public leader Sheikh

Hasina returned to her beloved

homeland on 7 May 2007, ignoring

government bans, conspiracies and fear

of death. But just two months later, on

16 July 2007, Sheikh Hasina was

arrested in a monstrous manner from

her residence Sudhasadan.

She was kept in a temporary jail in the

JatiyaSangsad area. One conspiratorial

false case after another was filed against

her. There was a conspiracy to kill her in

NAyEEM ISLAM NIBIr

prison. She became seriously ill. Her life

and death are being trampled underfoot

by mass struggles and legal battles. No

election can be held without Sheikh

Hasina. The scene changes. The armybacked

caretaker government was

forced to release political leaders,

including Sheikh Hasina. The ninth

general election was held on 29

December 2008.

Achieved historic victory. The Awami

League alone won more than threequarters

of the seats. On 6 January

2009 Sheikh Hasina took over as the

Prime Minister for the second time. A

grand alliance government was formed.

Sheikh Hasina reached a unique height

of popularity with the skillful leadership

of the people's leader Sheikh Hasina

and the unprecedented development of

Bangladesh and the strong potential of

immense potential. The Awami League

led by Sheikh Hasina formed the

government with a majority in the 10th

parliamentary elections on 5 January

2014.

Today, the government led by Sheikh

Hasina is successfully running the

country for the fourth time in a third

consecutive term. The countrymen are

benefiting from the steps taken by the

government today. As a country of

immense potential, Bangladesh is

moving forward at an irresistible pace.

Under the leadership of Bangabandhu's

daughter, Bangladesh has risen from a

least developed country to a developing

country by overcoming all obstacles,

crises and challenges.

Over the past decade since 2009,

countless success-memorials have been

added to the journey of building a

prosperous Bangladesh. She started all

She was elected president of the Bangladesh Awami League at a critical

juncture of the nation through a historic council session held at

the Eden Hotel in Dhaka on 14, 15 and 16 February 1981. The call

came to take the helm of Awami League, the largest political party in

the country. Leader of the people Sheikh Hasina returned home on

May 17, 1981, ignoring the bloodshed and prohibitions of the military

rulers. After that, for 21 long years, there was a continuous fearless

struggle against the military junta, dictatorship and misrule. With

the victory of the Awami League in the 12 June 1996 parliamentary

elections, Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina was elected Prime

Minister of Bangladesh for the first time. During her government,

the historic Ganges water sharing agreement was signed with India.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord was executed.

the programs to build a digital

Bangladesh from the grassroots. She

has liberalized the path to democracy by

establishing freedom of the press in the

country and fair and transparent

elections under her government.

Along with this, through the massive

development of education, health,

agriculture and employment, it has

enabled the country to attract the

attention of world leaders as a model

today. Besides, the empowerment of

women during her rule has also set a

special example in the world.

Not only Bangladesh but also the

people of South Asia and poor

underdeveloped countries are looking

at Sheikh Hasina. She has strengthened

the economy of Bangladesh at a time

when the economic downturn is going

on in the world, the problem of inflation

and unemployment is getting

complicated in the country. She has

created the minimum way for people to

make a living, which is indicative of

Sheikh Hasina's achievements. She is

sincere and knows how to cooperate

with any good initiative. Even today we

do not see any alternative to her

especially in the development of the

agricultural sector. The national

economy is much stronger than before.

The poverty rate has now come down a

lot. The people of the country are living

in peace and comfort today. The main

reasons for this are price control and

increase in food production.

She has ensured free access to

technology for the youth. Sheikh Hasina

has taken initiative to make Bangladesh

livable for future generations where

besides education-health-employment

there will be huge potential for

development of creative talent. History

will testify to whether a compassionate

and compassionate leader like Sheikh

Hasina will come in the future and

future generations will evaluate it.

The final settlement of the

Bangabandhu assassination case, the

completion of the trial of the deadly war

criminals of 1971, the restoration of the

spirit of the Great Liberation War

through the amendment of the

Constitution, the settlement of

maritime disputes with India and

Myanmar and the establishment of

Bangladesh's sovereignty over the sea

happened under her prudent

leadership.

With the successful launch of

Bangabandhu-1 satellite, space

conquest, Bangladesh's entry into the

submarine era, construction of Padma

Bridge at its own expense, Metrorail,

installation of nuclear power plant,

Karnafuli tunnel, elevated expressway,

new flyovers, upgrading of highways to

four lanes, LNG self-sufficiency, per

capita income rise to 1,909, growth 8.1

percent, poverty reduction, power

generation capacity exceeds 22,000

MW, 94 percent people covered by

electricity, modern education policy

formulated, literacy rate raised to 73.9

percent, primary to secondary level on

first day of the year Delivering free new

books to all students till, Integration

and recognition of madrasa education

with mainstream education,

establishment of medical universities,

initiative to establish one public /

private university in each district,

formulation of women's policy,

construction of digital Bangladesh,

introduction of 4G mobile technology

and plans to enter the 5-G era

Bangladesh has achieved success.

Sheikh Hasina is considered as the

leader of the Bengali nation because of

her talent, courage and honesty, she is

called the symbol of the existence of

present-day Bangladesh. By killing

Bangabandhu, the defeated forces of

independence made every effort to

thwart the Bengali national identity, the

spirit and values of the war of

liberation. They were joined with great

enthusiasm by power-hungry and

privileged politicians, academics,

intellectuals, professionals and the

business community. Bangabandhu's

Bengali nation was then helpless,

humiliated and oppressed. For the sake

of religion, the dictatorial military

rulers of Pakistan, the eternal enemy of

the Bengalis, threw the country into a

dark hole.

The murderous tried in vain to erase

the existence of Bengalis. Bengali was

bowing its head in the world then.

Attempts to seize power through

kidnappings and assassinations,

conspired to destroy The reign of

corruption and misrule was established

by suppressing good governance. On

the one hand a handful of survivors

were getting richer and richer, and on

the other hand the poor were getting

poorer. People were becoming more

and more helpless due to poverty and

famine. There was no open-air

environment in the country.

Today under the leadership of Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina we have stood

up to all these evil forces. We have

established the basic human rights.

People's leader Sheikh Hasina has a

colorful life of struggle. Building

Success This career was not easy, it was

thorny.

She remained under house arrest for

nine months of the liberation war. She

was tortured and placed under house

arrest several times during the military

dictatorship. Time and again her life

was in danger. At least 20 attempts

have been made to assassinate her.

Even at the risk of her life, she has

remained steadfast in achieving her

goals with infinite courage. Her

personal life filled with simplicity.

Her attractive personality has been

developed in the ideals of intellect,

honesty, hard work, courage, patience,

patriotism and sacrifice.

There is no impression of luxury or

artificiality anywhere in Sheikh

Hasina's lifestyle. In private life she is

extremely devoted and pious. Her day

began with regular Fajr prayers and

recitation of the Qur'an. She has

performed the holy Haj several times.

Her contribution as a successful

statesman is internationally recognized

today.

She has already been awarded

numerous prestigious medals, awards

and recognitions for peace, democracy,

health and child mortality reduction,

use of information technology, poverty

alleviation, development and the

establishment of brotherhood and

harmony among nations. Pure

patriotism, foresight, strong mentality

and human qualities have made her a

world leader.

She is the symbol of the national unity

of the Bengalis and the safe haven of all

hopes and aspirations of the Bengali

nation. All the great achievements of

the Bengali nation after '75 have been

achieved under the leadership of Sheikh

Hasina.

Today is the birthday of


Hasina, a significant day for the entire

Bengali nation. And on this auspicious

day, I would like to extend my best

wishes to her and the people of the

country. At the same time, I wish

longevity and health of the to the

Almighty Allah.

Nayeem Islam Nibir is a young

generation political leader and

columnist in Bangladesh.

He can be reached :

nayemulislamnayem148@gmail.com

tueSDaY, SePtemBer 28, 2021

5

Gareth WiLLmer

Extreme events are increasingly

compounding each other, even if they

initially seem wide apart and

unconnected, making it more crucial to

tackle their root causes, says a report.

The Interconnected Disaster Risks

report, by UN academic arm the United

Nations University, focuses on 10

disasters worldwide in 2020-21. These

include Amazon fires, floods in

Vietnam, Cyclone Amphan in

Bangladesh and India, and locust

outbreaks across multiple countries, as

well as COVID-19, and the Arctic

heatwave.

"The world witnessed a number of

record-breaking disasters that showed

us clearer than ever before how

interconnected we are," says the report.

Tackling them in "fragmented, isolated

and insular ways" is no longer tenable,

it adds.

While it is already known that many

events are interconnected, homing in

on a limited set shows the links more

explicitly, says Jack O'Connor, an

author of the report and senior scientist

at UNU's Institute for Environment

and Human Security.

Global disasters are interconnected

"What we want to do with this report

is to get people to see disasters more

not as isolated events, but as the tip of

an iceberg," he said. "If you dig

underneath, you find that they're really

caused by these big systems and

structures that have patterns."

The report highlights both the knockon

effect of one disaster on others, and

similarities in root causes. The most

common causes were identified as

insufficient risk management and

undervaluation of environmental costs

in decision-making, as well as climate

change.

One event covered by the report - the

extinction of the Chinese paddlefish -

shared similar root causes with the

destruction caused by Cyclone

Amphan, in that dam building in both

cases had consequences for nature and

people, undermining ecosystems

downstream.

The paddlefish extinction also shared

similarities with Amazon fires, says

O'Connor, as both resulted partially

Lack of risk management and climate change among common

causes.

Photo: Greenpeace

from landscape interventions to

harness economically valuable

resources. In the case of the Amazon,

trees were cut down for agriculture,

resulting in declining local rainfall and

worsening fires.

In turn, deforestation is linked to

Western demand for meat, and has a

knock-on effect on climate change,

exacerbating extreme events elsewhere

in the world, says the report. "The scale

of the interconnection, when you really

look into it, is surprising even for us,"

says O'Connor, referring to scientists

studying the phenomenon.

COVID-19 has also illustrated how

multiple hazards can undermine wellestablished

measures to mitigate

disasters. For example, says O'Connor,

the pandemic reduced the effectiveness

of early warning systems during

Cyclone Amphan, complicating storm

preparedness including moving people

to shelters. COVID-19 also affected the

ability of Vietnam to deal with last

year's floods.

This all makes it important to tackle

root causes in an integrated way to

achieve multiple benefits rather than

solving single problems, says the

report. "When you're trying to plan for

the unexpected, you have to use a

systems-thinking approach," says

O'Connor. "Planning for what we've

already seen is not going to be enough."

He adds that these consequences are

essential to consider when solutions to

issues can simultaneously have highly

damaging environmental effects. For

example, hydropower dams, which

many countries in the global South

plan to build in the coming years,

provide renewable energy but can also

have devastating environmental

impacts.

The report highlights the need to

consider and mitigate "the trade-offs

for clean energy, irrigation, water

supply, ecosystem quality and

biodiversity" in an interdisciplinary

way. Saleemul Huq, director of the

International Centre for Climate

Change and Development in Dhaka,

Bangladesh, agrees that focusing on

interconnected issues is important. "I

believe that the world is now entering

the era of loss and damage from

human-induced climate change, and

we all need to work together to deal

with this issue," he said.

In Brazil, Ane Alencar, science

director at the country's Amazon

Environmental Research Institute, says

a lack of political will to fight processes

such as deforestation hampers the

country's ability to deal with

interconnected events. "Understanding

of the importance of the Amazon to

Brazilians and the world, and the

connection with meat consumption,

food prices and other things alike is

very important," she said.

Could gene editing chickens

prevent future pandemics?

NataLie Grover

Diseases such as avian flu

trigger the culling of millions

of birds each year. But that

need not be the case for

much longer. Vaccines are

one preventive strategy

employed in some countries,

but they do not stop birds

from being infected, getting

mild versions of the disease

and transmitting it to healthy

chickens. In fact, this

imperfect shield can make

things worse, incentivising

the virus to mutate to evade

the vaccine.

And an even more grim

possibility is that the viruses

that afflict domestic birds can

spill over into humans with

deadly effect. So scientists

are working on a more

permanent solution: gene

editing, which is designed to

alter specific genes in an

organism to enhance certain

characteristics or inhibit

others. It is sometimes

lumped into the same

category as genetic

modification, which involves

the transfer of a gene from

one organism to another.

Genetically modified

organisms are strictly

regulated in the EU, due to

longstanding fears of

unintended environmental

and public health effects.

Some campaign groups say

gene editing brings similar

risks. The use of gene editing

techniques "could not only

exacerbate the negative

effects of industrial farming

on nature, animals and

people, but it could

effectively turn both nature

and ourselves (through the

food we eat) into a gigantic

genetic engineering

experiment with unknown,

potentially irrevocable

outcomes", Greenpeace said

in a statement earlier this

year. Proponents,

meanwhile, assert that gene

editing technology is merely

a more precise version of the

traditional selective breeding

of animals.

At the heart of the gene

editing solution is the Crispr

tool, which is designed to

work like a pair of genetic

scissors. This tool could be

used, for instance, to edit out

a section of chicken DNA to

prevent the bird flu virus

from taking hold in the cells

and replicating.

Prof Helen Sang, a

geneticist at the Roslin

Institute at the University of

Edinburgh, is part of a team

of scientists that is working

on the early stages of such a

project. Crispr technology is

efficient because it allows for

the evaluation of the edit in

lab-grown cells - if those

results look encouraging, it

can then be tested in birds,

she says.

Pretty much everything we

eat has been selectively bred -

from crops to poultry. But in

many places, genetically

modified crops are common.

In the US, for instance, most

soy and corn are engineered

to maximise output. In 2015,

US regulators also granted

the first approval of an

animal (an Atlantic salmon)

Gene editing could be used to alter a chicken DNa to prevent the bird flu

virus from taking hold in the cells.

Photo: Barcroft media

whose DNA had been

scientifically modified for

human consumption.

Disease-resistant pigs are

expected to be next in line.

Selective breeding

fundamentally alters the

genetics of an organism but

is perceived as natural, while

using genetic editing

technology for the same goal

is considered unnatural,

noted Dr Laurence Tiley, a

molecular virologist at the

University of Cambridge's

department of veterinary

medicine.

Tiley's and Sang's research,

about a decade ago, yielded

early success in genetically

modifying chickens to

prevent the spread of bird flu.

But they didn't pursue the

project after realising the

technology wasn't robust

enough to completely

prevent the birds from

getting the flu in the first

place.

In the years since, Crispr

technology has grown from

relative obscurity to

revolutionising the fields of

biomedical research, clinical

medicine and agriculture.

Clearly, these gene editing

tools are not the way nature

intended, but are very

precise, says Tiley. "You can

make exactly the change you

want in exactly the

appropriate place. And you

can check it … and confirm

that there's nothing else that

you've made any other

changes to."

Earlier this year, a

consultation by the UK

government opened the door

for gene editing of crops and

livestock in England. The

changes to the current strict

rules - which originate from

the EU and make gene

editing for crops and

livestock almost impossible -

are intended to bring

widespread benefits to

consumers and farmers,

including healthier food,

lower antibiotic use and

better animal welfare.

But campaigners say

loosening the rules could

instead be worse for animal

welfare, for instance, if the

technology was used to

promote growth over animal

health, or to enable livestock

to be kept in crowded

conditions.

It's not an either/or

situation, says Tiley, adding:

"I think there is an obvious

case to improve livestock

production … to reduce the

transmission of infectious

diseases. But there are some

things that, no matter how

hard you try, you're going to

have a disease problem, and

if you can genetically

engineer these problems

away, then that's a good

thing to do."

DamiaN CarriNGtoN

People born today will suffer

many times more extreme

heatwaves and other climate

disasters over their lifetimes

than their grandparents,

research has shown. The

study is the first to assess the

contrasting experience of

climate extremes by

different age groups and

starkly highlights the

intergenerational injustice

posed by the climate crisis.

The analysis showed that a

child born in 2020 will

endure an average of 30

extreme heatwaves in their

lifetime, even if countries

fulfil their current pledges to

cut future carbon emissions.

That is seven times more

heatwaves than someone

born in 1960.

Today's babies will also

grow up to experience twice

as many droughts and

wildfires and three times

more river floods and crop

failures than someone who is

60 years old today. However,

rapidly cutting global

emissions to keep global

heating to 1.5C would almost

halve the heatwaves today's

children will experience,

while keeping under 2C

would reduce the number by

a quarter.

A vital task of the UN's

Cop26 climate summit in

Glasgow in November is to

deliver pledges of bigger

emissions cuts from the

most polluting countries and

climate justice will be an

important element of the

negotiations. Developing

countries, and the youth

strike protesters who have

taken to the streets around

the world, point out that

those who did least to cause

the climate crisis are

suffering the most.

"Our results highlight a

severe threat to the safety of

young generations and call

for drastic emission

reductions to safeguard their

future," said Prof Wim

Thiery, at Vrije Universiteit

Brussel in Belgium and who

led the research. He said

people under 40 today were

set to live "unprecedented"

lives, ie suffering heatwaves,

droughts, floods and crop

failures that would have

been virtually impossible -

0.01% chance - without

global heating.

Children set for more climate

disasters than their forefathers

Boy walks through a dried up agricultural field in the Saadiya area, north

of Diyala in eastern iraq.

Photo: ahmad al-rubaye

Dr Katja Frieler, at the projections

from Africa face 5.7 times more

Potsdam Institute for sophisticated computer extreme events.

Climate Impact Research in climate models, detailed "This highlights a

Germany and part of the population and life disproportionate climate

study team, said: "The good expectancy data, and global change burden for young

news is we can take much of temperature trajectories generations in the global

the climate burden from our

children's shoulders if we

limit warming to 1.5C by

phasing out fossil fuel use.

from the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change.

The scientists said the

increases in climate impacts

south," the researchers said.

Dohyeon Kim, an activist

from South Korea who took

part in the global climate

This is a huge opportunity." calculated for today's young strike on Friday, said:

Leo Hickman, editor of people were likely to be "Countries of the global

Carbon Brief, said: "These underestimates, as multiple north need to push

new findings reinforce our

2019 analysis which showed

that today's children will

need to emit eight times less

CO2 over the course of their

extremes within a year had

to be grouped together and

the greater intensity of

events was not accounted

for.

governments to put justice

and equity at the heart of

climate action, both in terms

of climate [aid] and setting

more ambitious pledges that

lifetime than their There was significant take into consideration

grandparents, if global regional variation in the historical responsibilities."

warming is to be kept below

1.5C. Climate change is

already exacerbating many

results. For example, the 53

million children born in

Europe and central Asia

The analysis found that

only those aged under 40

years today will live to see

injustices, but the between 2016 and 2020 will the consequences of the

intergenerational injustice of experience about four times choices made on emissions

climate change is more extreme events in their cuts. Those who are older

particularly stark."

lifetimes under current will have died before the

The research, published in emissions pledges, but the impacts of those choices

the journal Science, 172 million children of the become apparent in the

combined extreme event same age in sub-Saharan world.

riCharD LuSComBe

Many anglers lament the one that got

away. In Florida, the issue is more

often the fish that is caught but is

then snatched by a shark before

being reeled in. A grant from the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration (Noaa) will allow

scientists at two universities to

research and possibly solve the

problem of shark depredation, an

increasingly common annoyance to 4

million recreational anglers who fish

Floridian waters each year.

The study by the Harbor Branch

Oceanographic Institute at Florida

Atlantic University (FAU) and

Mississippi State University will

investigate what species of sharks are

the most prolific offenders, what

types of fish fall victim more

frequently and where the thefts

occur.

The researchers also hope to get a

handle for the first time on the

economic cost. The recreational deep

sea fishing industry supports more

than 88,000 jobs in Florida and

A whole new angle on shark depredation

the researchers also hope to get a handle for the first time on the economic cost.

Photo: matt heath

provides annual revenue above $9bn.

"Few studies have quantified the

impact of depredation in recreational

fisheries," said Dr Matt Ajemian, the

lead investigator, assistant research

professor and director of the fisheries

ecology and conservation laboratory

at FAU Harbor Branch.

"Incorporating fishermen's

knowledge into a scientific process

gives them more confidence in

scientific results, promotes trust and

more importantly increases the

quantity and quality of data."

Ajemian's team will embrace what

it calls a citizen-science approach,

working with and surveying

recreational fishermen and building

on a Facebook site with 6,000

members that already records

photos, videos and anecdotal

accounts of sharks snatching fish

such as red snapper and grouper.

"The data we have collected from

the Facebook group show the

potential benefits of a social mediabased

approach to engage fishermen

in reporting, which has uncovered

the potential breadth and complexity

of the issue," Ajemian said.

The researchers will also take a

more hands-on approach, including

taking swabs of bite wounds on fish

remains to attempt to identify the

species of shark involved. Some

experts believe preservation efforts

have led to an increase of shark

depredation.

"Now that these conservation

actions have been put in place, and

these management plans have been

put in place, what we're actually

seeing is something more natural,

more healthy," Lauran Brewster, a

senior research fellow at FAU Harbor

Branch, told the Sun-Sentinel.

"We need to learn how to respond

to that without retaliating against a

species that's just living where it's

supposed to live." The FAU award of

almost $200,000 is part of a rolling

program of educational grants from

Noaa to universities conducting

research in certain scientific areas.

On Saturday, a page on the agency's

website celebrated National Hunting

and Fishing Day.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

6

Rangpur records no Covid death

for second consecutive day

A three-day long "Big Data, lOT and Machine Learning; BIM-2" concluded in CUET recently.

Abu Taher elected as

member secretary of

Sreepur Municipal

Jubo Dal

RAzIB PRADHAN, SREEPUR

CORRESPONDENT

The names of upazila and

municipal branch committees

of Jubo Dal have been

announced in Sreepur upazila

of Gazipur. Abu Taher

Pradhan has been newly

elected as a member secretary

in the committee of Sreepur

Municipal Jubo Dal. The

former Chhatra Dal leader

served as the 1st vicepresident

of Sreepur

Municipal Chhatra Dal and

the 5th ward member of

Sreepur Union Chhatra Dal.

This information has been

given in a written press

release issued by

Kamruzzaman Dulal, office

secretary of the executive

committee of the Central Jubo

Dal last Thursday.The

meeting was chaired by Saiful

Alam Nirab, President of

Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Jubo

Dal and moderated by Sultan

Salauddin Tukur, General

Secretary Md Mahfuzur

Rahman, Gazipur District

Jubo Dal President Monir

Hossain.

Abu Taher Pradhan, newly

elected member secretary of

Jubo Dal of Sreepur

Municipal Committee, told

The Bangladesh Today in an

exclusive interview that "After

a long time, the name of the

committee has been

announced. We are all very

excited to be on the

committee.

404 kgs of fish

fries released in

Nabaganga river

MAGURA : Department of

Fisheries has released 404 kgs

of fish fries in the river of

Nabaganga in the district aims

at boosting the fish production,

reports BSS.

Local lawmaker Advocate

Saifuzzaman Shikhar formally

released the fish fries at a

function as the chief guest held

in the river's Satdoha Shoshan

Ghat area in the morning with

Deputy Commissioner (DC)

Ashraful Alam in the chair.

District council chairman

Pankaj Kundu, District

Fisheries Officer Anwar Kabir,

Deputy Director of the

Department of Agriculture

Extension of the district

Sushant Kumar Pramanik,

Municipal Mayor Khurshid

Haider Tutul, Chairman of

Sadar Upazila Parishad Abu

Nasir Bablu and Sadar Upazila

Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Yasin

Kabir, among others, were

present on the occasion.

638 puja mandaps

to be erected in

Gaibandha

GAIBANDHA: A total of 638

puja mandaps will be

erected for the Sharadiya

Durga Puja, the biggest

religious festival of the

Hindu Community, in all the

seven upazilas of the district

this year, reports BSS.

This was disclosed by

president of Bangladesh

Puja Utjapon Parishad

(BPUP), district unit, to the

correspondent of the

national news agency here

last morning.

Of the total, some 103

mandaps would be erected

in Sadar upazila, 145 in

Sundarganj upazila, 129 in

Gobindaganj upazila, 117 in

Sadullapur upazila, 64 in

Palashbari upazila, 61 in

Shaghata upazila, and 19 in

Fulchhari upazila of the

district, he said.

The five-day long puja

would begin from October 11

and conclude on October 15

through the immersion of

idols at different water

bodies including canal, pond

and river, he added.

As per mythology, on the

6th day (Maha Shashti)

Goddess Durga landed on

earth with her 4 children:

Goddess Saraswati, Goddess

Laxmi, Lord Ganesha, and

Lord Kartikeya.

In reply to a query Ranjit

Bakshi said a view exchange

meeting between deputy

inspector general (DIG) of

police, Rangpur Range and

the members of district puja

utjapan parishad virtually

on Sunday.

Superintendent of police

(SP) Muhammad Towhidul

Jashore: Durga Puja, the

biggest religious festival of

the Bangalee Hindu

community, will be held at

698 mandaps in eight

upazilas of the district this

year, reports BSS.

The five-day long festival

will begin on October 11

with due respect and

religious fervor across the

country and end on

October 15 with immersion

of the idols of goddess

Durga and other deities.

District Puja Udjapon

Committee's president

Ashim Kundu said 145

mandaps will be erected in

sadar upazila, 55 in

Jhikargacha upazila, 29 in

Sharshab upazila, 48 in

Chaugacha upazila, 98 in

Keshabpur upazila, 103 in

Monirampur upazila, 126

in Abhaynagar upazila and

94 in Bagherpara upazila of

the district.

Islam arranged the virtual

meeting at his office

conference room of the

district town.

SP Muhammad Towhidul

Islam, president of BPUP,

district unit Ranaji Kumar

Bakhshi Surjwa, acting

general secretary Bimal

Kumar Sarker, president of

Sadar upazila unit Sujon

Prosad and general

secretary Rockey Deb took

part in the discussion

meeting virtually among

others.

In the meeting, DIG

Debdash Bhattacharjwa

urged the Hindu

Community to celebrate the

festival with much

enthusiasm and religious

fervor in the district and

assured them of taking

necessary steps in this

regard.

Police, ansar and VDP

members including gram

police would be deployed at

the puja mandaps each and

the elite forces RAB would

also patrol on the road to

hold the puja here smoothly,

the DIG added.

Stern and lawful action

would be taken against the

persons who would be

involved in creating anarchy

and trouble at the time of

puja, the DIG warned.

The leaders of district and

upazila puja utjapon

parishad, and all the officers

in charge (OCs) including

the journalists attended the

meeting, said OC of Sadar

thana Md. Masudur

Rahman.

Durga Puja will be

held at 698

Jashore mandaps

Special security

measures are being taken

to ensure security and

peaceful celebrations

during festival.

Jashore Deputy

Commissioner (DC)

Tamijul Islam Khan said all

kinds of step will be taken

to celebrate Durga Puja in a

festive atmosphere.

Durga Puja will be held in

every mandap in

accordance with the health

rules due to coronavirus,

he said.

Stringent security

measures will also be taken

for smooth holding of the

puja all over the district, he

said, adding law

enforcement agency will be

in place to ensure smooth

celebration.

The monitoring team will

work at the district and

upazila level.

Photo: Joynal Abedin

Int’l confce on

big data, IOT

concludes at

CUET

GAzI JOYNAL ABEDIN,

RAOzAN CORRESPONDENT

A three-day long "Big Data,

lOT and Machine Learning;

BIM-2" conference

organized in collaboration

with a global platform of

various researchers and

university teachers working

at home and abroad to

address the challenges of the

Fourth Industrial

Revolution and ensure

sustainable development

concluded on Saturday.

During the time, Professor

Dr. Saidur Rahman of

Sunway University of

Malaysia, RegionalEditor,

International Journal of

Biomedical Engineering and

Technology, National

Physical Laboratory,

Indiaand LifeFellow, IEEE,

Dr. VR Singh, former vice

chancellor of the National

University and Professorof

Computer Scienceand

Engineeringat the

University of Dhaka

Professor Dr. Hafiz Md.

Hasan Babu were present as

guests at the closing

ceremony of the

international conference on

the virtual platform.

The event was presided

over by BIM-2021

Organizing Chair and

Professor of Computer

Science and Engineering at

CUET Prof. Dr. Mohammad

Samsul Arefin.

The conference was

organized with the technical

assistance of IEEE

Computer Society

Bangladesh Chapter, CUET

Intelligent Computing Lab

and Center for Natural

Science and Engineering

Research.

RMCH records

four more deaths

at Covid-19 unit

RAJSHAHI: Rajshahi

Medical College Hospital

(RMCH) recorded four

more fatalities at its Covid-

19 unit in the last 24 hours

till 6am yesterday, raising

the death toll to 156 so far

this month, reports BSS.

However, the previous

day's fatality figure was also

four, while on Thursday last

the death figure was just one

which was the ever-lowest

one in the hospital since the

second wave of the

pandemic hit the country

around six months back.

Earlier, the number of

casualties was 340 in

August, 566 in July and 405

in June, health officials said.

RMCH Director Brigadier

General Dr Shamim Yazdani

told newsmen that the three

of the deceased were the

residents

of

Chapainawabganj, while one

from Rajshahi.

Among the deaths, three

were female and one male.

All of the fresh fatalities

were suffering from

symptoms of Covid-19 in the

hospital.

RANGPUR: No death due

to Covid-19 was recorded

for the second consecutive

day on Sunday in the

division where the

pandemicbsituation

continues improving

almost during the last

seven weeks, reports BSS.

"Earlier, Rangpur

division witnessed no

Covid-19 fatality on May

16, on September 12, 13, 14,

20 and 22 last," said

Divisional Deputy Director

(Health) Dr Abu Md

zakirul Islam.

The number of Covid-19

casualties remained steady

at 1,230 in the

divisionbwhere the

positivity and fatality rates

are declining consistently.

The district-wise break

up of the 1,230 fatalities

stands at 291 in Rangpur,

80 in Panchagarh, 87 in

Nilphamari, 66 in

Lalmonirhat, 68 in

Kurigram, 250 in

Thakurgaon, 325 in

Dinajpur and 63 in

A week-long District Rating Chess League-2021 was inagaurated at Joypurhat stadium on Sunday.

Photo: Masrakul Alom

RANGPUR: Leaders of different

organisations working for welfare of disabled

people at a discussion have stressed on

engaging both government-NGOs efforts to

ensure development of the physically

challenged people, reports BSS.

'Rangpur Badhir Sangha (RBS)' organised

the discussion with assistance of Bangladesh

National Federation of the Deaf, on Town

Hall premises. They also brought out a rally

on the city streets on Sunday afternoon.

The programmes were arranged in

observance of the International Week of Deaf

People-2021 and International Day of Sign

Languages-2021 with the themes

'Celebrating Thriving Deaf Communities' and

'We Sign for Human Rights'vrespectively.

A limited number of physically challenged,

hearing impaired and intellectually disabled

people and civil society members

participated in the rally in the wake of the

Covid-19 pandemic.

Chief Adviser of RBS and freedom fighter

Akbor Hossain addressed the discussion as

the chief guest with President of the

organisation Advocate zobaydul Islam in the

chair.

General Secretary of RBS Mizanur

Rahman and former Vice-president of

Rangpur Carmichael College Students'

Union Alauddin Mian spoke as special

guests. The speakers said the deaf and vision

impaired people are being exploited in

various ways in society.

They said the government and society

should work together to ensure congenial

atmosphere for the deaf and vision impaired

people to properly utilise their talents and

abilities.

Advocate Islam said the education,

academic training and extracurricular

activities being conducted by some NGOs for

the physically challenged, disabled, deaf and

dumb and vision impaired population are

still inadequate.

He urged the government for expanding its

ongoing programmes to ensure education,

training and health services for the physically

challenged, deaf and dumb and vision

Gaibandha.

"The average casualty

rate is 2.24 percent in the

division at present," Dr

zakirul said.

Meanwhile, the number

of Covid-19 cases reached

54,878 as 33 new patients

were diagnosed after

testing 688 samples of

Rangpur division at the

daily positivity rate of 4.80

percent on Sunday.

Earlier, the daily

positivity rates were 3.44

percent on Saturday, 5.57

percent on Friday, 5.08

percent on Thursday, 3.89

percent on Wednesday,

5.84 percent on Tuesday

and 5.95 percent on

Monday last in the

division.

"The district-wise break

up of total 54,878 patients

include 12,388 of Rangpur,

3,748 of Panchagarh, 4,413

of Nilphamari, 2,729 of

Lalmonirhat, 4,627 of

Kurigram, 7,509 of

Thakurgaon, 14,616 of

Dinajpur and 4,848 of

Gaibandha in the division,"

he added.

Talking to BSS

yesterday, Divisional

Director (Health) Dr Md

Motaharul Islam said a

total of 2,78,925 collected

samples were tested till

Sunday, and of them,

54,878 were found Covid-

19 positive with an average

positivity rate of 19.67

percent here.

Since the beginning of

the pandemic, the number

of healed Covid-19 patients

reached 51,608 with

recovery of 46 more

infected patients on the day

in the division where the

average recovery rate

currently stands at 94.04

percent.

The 51,608 recovered

patients include 10,702 of

Rangpur, 3,468 of

Panchagarh, 4,300 in

Nilphamari, 2,605 in

Lalmonirhat, 4,496 in

Kurigram, 6,985 of

Thakurgaon, 14,277 in

Dinajpur and 4,775 in

Comprehensive efforts for development

of disabled people stressed

impaired population.

The chief guest put importance on

mainstreaming the people with different

types of disabilities to attain the sustainable

development goals by 2030 leaving none

behind.

"Engaging comprehensive GO-NGO efforts

has become crucial to support the physically

challenged people to turn them into human

resources for ensuring their development,

constitutional rights and social security.

Community engagement

to prevent Covid-19

spread stressed

RAJSHAHI: Administrative and other

officials concerned viewed that community

engagement, particularly in the remote and

rural areas, can be the best ways of limiting

furthermore Covid-19 spread, reports BSS.

The integration and involvement of

communities in COVID-19 prevention and

control is a potential and viable strategy in

addressing the pandemic. So, all the

government and non-government

organizations concerned should come

forward and work together.

The discussants came up with the

observation while addressing a divisionallevel

planning and review workshop held at

the office conference hall of Commissioner of

Rajshahi division yesterday.

The District Information Office hosted the

meeting under the C4D programme of

UNICEF to prevent coronavirus infection.

Divisional Commissioner Dr Humayun

Kabir addressed the meeting as chief guest

saying there is no scope of ignoring the issue

of Covid-19 amid the present lowering trend

of infection and death. He urged all

concerned to expedite the awareness

campaign against the pandemic as the

educational institutions opened for the

greater interest of the students.

Gaibandha.

Among the 54,878

patients, 41 are undergoing

treatment at isolation

units, including six critical

patients at ICU beds and

two at High Dependency

Unit beds, after recovery of

51,608 patients and 1,230

deaths while 1,999 are

remaining in home

isolation.

"Meanwhile, the number

of citizens who got the first

dose of the Covid-19

vaccine rose to 28,40,136,

and among them,

16,56,736 got the second

dose of the jab till Sunday

in the division," Dr Islam

added.

Chief of Divisional

Coronavirus Service and

Prevention Task Force and

Principal of Rangpur

Medical College Professor

Dr AKM Nurunnobi Lyzu

called upon everyone to

sincerely abide by the

health directives to prevent

further spread of the

deadly virus.

District Rating Chess

League begins at the

initiative of Joypurhat

Police Department

MASRAKUL ALOM, JOYPURHAT

CORRESPONDENT

A week-long District

Rating Chess League-2021

has been launched in

collaboration with the

overall management of

Joypurhat District Police

Department, zila Krira

Sangha and the Joypurhat

branch of Shahjalal Islami

Bank Limited on Sunday.

Rajshahi Range Deputy

Inspector General (DIG) of

Bangladesh Police Md

Abdul Baten BPM, PPM

was the chief guest at the

official inauguration of the

Chess League at Joypurhat

Stadium on Sunday

afternoon.

Joypurhat

Superintendent of Police

Masum Ahmed Bhuiyan

presided over the inaugural

function of the Chess

League while among others

District Awami League

President and Chairman of

zila Parishad Arifur

Rahman Rocket, Joint

General Secretary of

Bangladesh Chess

Federation Masudur

Rahman Mallick, Secretary

of Joypurhat Awami

League zakir Hasan

Mandal and Joypurhat

Press Club and District Bar

President President

Advocate Nipendranath

Mandal PP were also

present at the occasion.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2021

8

Southeast Bank Limited has organized its 637th Board Meeting on 27th

September 2021 via digital platform. Alamgir Kabir, FCA, Chairman,

Southeast Bank Limited presided over the Board Meeting. Duluma Ahmed,

Vice-Chairperson, M. A. Kashem, Chairman, Executive Committee and

Director of the Board, Azim Uddin Ahmed, Chairman, Risk Management

Committee and Director of the Board and other members of the Board of

Directors-Jusna Ara Kashem, Rehana Rahman, Md.Akikur Rahman,

M.Maniruz Zaman Khan (nominated by Bay Leasing & Investment

Limited), Syed Sajedul Karim, Chairman of Audit Committee and

Independent Director, Quazi Mesbahuddin Ahmed, Independent Director,

Mohammad Delwar Hussain, Independent Director, M. Kamal Hossain,

Managing Director, S.M. Mainul Kabir, Deputy Managing Director, Mr.Md.

Masum Uddin Khan, SEVP and A.K.M. Nazmul Haider, Company Secretary

participated in the meeting virtually. The members of the Board of

Directors also discussed about Banks various business initiatives in details.

They also discussed about the future planning of Bank. Photo : Courtesy

IMF chief says she ‘did

not pressure anyone’

while at World Bank

WASHINGTON : After an

investigation found she used

her senior role at the World

Bank to manipulate data in

favor of China, IMF

Managing Director

Kristalina Georgieva on

Friday issued a statement

again denying misconduct

and rejecting the report.

"Let me be clear: the

conclusions are wrong. I did

not pressure anyone to alter

any reports. There was

absolutely no quid pro quo

related to funding for the

World Bank of any kind,"

Georgieva wrote in a

statement.

An independent

investigation released last

week found that during her

time as World Bank CEO,

Georgieva was among top

officials who pressured staff

into changing data to

China's benefit in the 2018

edition of its closely watched

Doing Business report.

The bank has since

scrapped the report, while

the US Treasury called the

findings "serious."

In a statement released

through US strategic

IFIL holds Board meeting

The 291st meeting of the

Board of Directors of Islamic

Finance and Investment

Limited (IFIL) was held at its

Head Office at Tejgaon on

Sunday. S. M. Bakhtiar Alam,

Chairman of the Board of

Directors of IFIL, presided

communications firm SKDK

rather than through the

IMF, Georgieva, who took

the top job at the

Washington-based crisis

lender in 2019, pledged

changes to her management

style.

"As much as I have strived

to be open and inclusive, I

was very sorry to learn that

some staffers felt their

concerns were not heard.

Moving forward, I will make

sure to be even more

attentive to hearing staff

views," she wrote.

The probe from an outside

law firm found that

Georgieva along with her

associate Simeon Djankov, a

former Bulgarian finance

minister who created the

report, and Jim Yong Kim,

then-president of the bank,

pressured staff to change the

calculation of China's

ranking to avoid angering

Beijing.

The push came while bank

leadership was engaged in

sensitive negotiations with

Beijing over increasing the

bank's lending capital.

Nobel Laureate Paul

over the meeting where a

number of investment

proposals were approved, a

press release said.

Among others, Vice

Chairman of the Board Mr.

Abul Quasem Haider, Audit

Committee Chairman Kaiser

Romer, who was chief

economist for the World

Bank during her time there

and later resigned after

raising separate concerns

about the Doing Business

rankings, told AFP "the kind

of intimidation this report

describes was real" and said

Georgieva arranged a

"whitewash" of his

criticisms.

Shanta Devarajan, a

former acting chief

economist of the World

Bank, defended Georgieva,

writing on Twitter that she

specified that China's data

should be verified without

compromising the rankings'

integrity.

"The changes to China's

score were either correcting

coding errors or judgment

calls on questions where

judgment was required," he

said on Thursday.

"At no point did I feel I was

being pressured," he said,

adding the allegation

Georgieva tampered with

the data "is beyond

credulity."

A Chowdhury, Directors

Mostanser Billa, A.K. M.

Sakhawat and Independent

Director Md. Jahidur

Rahman and IFIL Managing

Director (Current Charge)

Maruf Mansur were present

at the meeting.

China's mobile

phone shipments

reach 227 mln

units in Jan-Aug

BEIJING : China's mobile

phone shipments stood at

227 million units in the

first eight months of the

year, up 12.3 percent year

on year, according to data

from the China Academy of

Information and

Communications

Technology (CAICT).

In August, the country's

mobile phone shipments

dropped 9.7 percent year

on year to reach 24.3

million units, said the

CAICT, a research institute

under the Ministry of

Industry and Information

Technology.

A total of 57 new models

were released last month,

up 50 percent from a year

earlier, the data showed.

The country's domestic

brands continued to

dominate mobile phone

shipments in August. Their

shipments hit 22.8 million

units, making up 93.8

percent of the total

shipments.

In the January-August

period, shipments by

domestic brands went up

10.6 percent year on year to

top 204 million units,

according to the CAICT.

ADNOC raises over

$1.1b as it completes

book-building for

drilling unit IPO

State oil giant Abu Dhabi

National Oil Co (ADNOC)

has completed bookbuilding

for the initial public offering

(IPO) of ADNOC Drilling,

raising more than $1.1

billion, it said on Monday.

The offering was

oversubscribed, with total

gross demand amounting to

more than $34 billion, it said

in a statement.

"Upon settlement,

ADNOC Drilling's IPO will

be the largest ever ADX

(Abu Dhabi Securities

Exchange) listing, further

bolstering the UAE and Abu

Dhabi's equity capital

markets," it said.

A tranche for United Arab

Emirates retail investors was

set at 10 percent and a

tranche for local, regional,

and international

institutional investors at 86

percent, with the remaining

4 percent to be allocated to

ADNOC employees and

UAE retirees.

Listing is expected on Oct.

3, ADNOC said.

ADNOC will continue to

own an 84 percent majority

stake in the unit, while Baker

Hughes will retain its 5

percent shareholding.

Helmerich & Payne will hold

1 percent through its IPO

cornerstone investment.

ADNOC increased to 11

percent of share capital the

size of the IPO, it said this

month, because of

oversubscription. It had

previously targeted a

minimum stake of 7.5

percent.

EU gas output to

jump by 25pc on

Turkish discovery

The European Union will

see its gas production

capacity increase by 25

percent with a new Turkish

discovery in the Black Sea,

Bloomberg reported.

The natural gas field will

provide nearly a third of

Turkey's domestic needs by

2027, Bloomberg added,

citing Energy Minister Fatih

Donmez.

The initial production

from the new field will be 3.5

billion cubic meters of gas

annually starting from 2023,

Donmez told Bloomberg.

Samsung brings NEO QLED TV for

stunning cinematic experience

BRAC Bank enriches JU students

with career knowledge

BRAC Bank, in association

with Jahanginagar

University Career Club, has

organized a CAREERtalk

with the students sensitizing

on their career planning.

It came on a virtual

platform with around 150

students from the Faculty of

Business Studies (FBS), the

Institute of Business

Administration (IBA-JU),

and other disciplines.

Dr. KM Zahidul Islam,

Professor and Director of

IBA-JU, Dr. Mohammad

Alamgir Kabir, Professor

and Chairman of the

Department of Statistics,

and Dr. Md Sawkat Hossain,

Associate Professor and

Chairman of the

Department of Finance and

Banking, were also present

to encourage the students.

Nazmur Rahim, Head of

Alternate Banking Channels

of BRAC Bank and an

alumnus of the IBA-JU,

conducted the session and

provided his suggestions to

the students on career

Innovation and improvisation, according

to the consumers' convivence, has been a

specialty of Samsung Electronics since the

very beginning, and now the company has

introduced its Next-Generation NEO

QLED TV range in the Bangladesh market.

The new line-up underscores Samsung's

commitment to innovation with

new advancements that will redefine the

role of television in consumer's homes.

The new line-up will set a benchmark in

the television industry using technology

that will transform users' homes. Samsung

is introducing a unique display technology,

NEO QLED TV, to its flagship 8K

and 4K TV models. The company has taken

QLED to the next level by enabling a

new light source; precisely controlled by

Quantum Matrix Technology and NEO

Quantum Processor, a powerful picture

processor optimized for NEO QLED. The

Quantum Matrix Technology Pro of NEO

QLED 8K ensures astonishingly real pictures,

accurate color and creates a precise

viewing experience. NEO QLED 8K also

flaunts Object Tracking Sound Pro that

provides dynamic sound while tracking

motion and Infinity One Design, where

users immerse themselves into the screen.

On this occasion, Shahriar Bin Lutfor,

Head of Business, Consumer Electronics,

Samsung Bangladesh, said, "The past

year, we have witnessed the crucial role

that technology has played in helping us

carry on with our lives and staying connected

with our loved ones. Our commitment

to a comprehensive and sustainable

future goes hand-in-hand with the relentless

pursuit of excellence to meet consumers'

ever-changing requirements. We

hope that our recent innovation will provide

a suite of exclusive features to the

users and offer an unparalleled viewing

experience to enhance their lifestyle."

The NEO QLED 4K boasts a hundred

percent color volume with Quantum Dot

planning.

He said: "Academic result

is important, but it cannot be

the only yardstick of

evaluating a job candidate.

At BRAC Bank, we rather

look into the versatility and

attitude among the fertile

minds while hiring people.

We look for the right fit."

The event concluded with

a Q&A session where

students sought opinions on

choosing a career path, the

importance of CGPA plus

extra-curricular activities for

the banking industry, and

career opportunities as a

bank employee.

Among other JU alumni

from BRAC Bank, Reza

Hyder, Head of Relationship

that provides a flawless viewing experience

provided by rich and precise colors

that remain unchanged under any brightness

levels. Moreover, it also comes with a

Quantum processor 4K, OTS (Object

tracking system), and AirSlim features.

Samsung's new range of NEO QLED 8K

TVs will be available in 75-inch and 85-

inch, and the NEO QLED 4K TV line-up

will be available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-

inch, and 85-inch.

Samsung's Crystal UHD offers a

Dynamic Crystal Color feature that

delivers natural variations so you can

see every subtlety and Multiple Voice

Assistants with up to three voice assistants

to choose from the lot. Besides,

the Crystal Processor 4K and AirSlim

ultra-thin profile will redefine the role

of television in consumer's homes. The

Crystal UHD 4K models are available in

43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 75-

inch, and 85-inch.

First Security Islami Bank Ltd.recently organized Shariah Awareness Program by using digital platform

with the participation of officers of Khulna, Rajshahi & Barishal Zone of the Bank. Professor Dr.

Mohammad Gias Uddin Talukder, Chairman, Shariah Council, First Security Islami Bank Ltd. delivered

his lecture on the importance & significance of complying Shariah in banking activities. The program

was ended with valuable instructions from Syed Waseque Md. Ali, Managing Directorof the

bank.

Photo : Courtesy

Unit 2; Emdadul Haque,

Regional Head, Khulna and

Dhaka North East Region;

as well as BRAC Bank's

Head of HR, Akhteruddin

Mahmood; and Head of

Talent Acquisition and

Employer Branding Rishad

Hossain, were also present

at the CAREER talk

programme.

Fruit preservation in cold storage

stressed to reduce 50pc losses

RAJSHAHI : Experts have underscored

the preservation of fruits and vegetables

in cold storage to lessen at least fifty percent

unexpected losses.

They said every year the farmers in general

incurred huge financial loss as they

can not preserve fruits and vegetables in

the region due to lack of proper facilities,

reports BSS

The observation came at a view-sharing

meeting on inaugurating a mini-cold

storage with four-tonne capacity for preserving

fruits and vegetables at Shibpur

Hat under Puthiya Upazila in the district

on Sunday afternoon.

Department of Agricultural Extension

(DAE) organized the function under its

project titled "Agriculture Development

of Rajshahi Division through Expansion

of Modern Technology" largely attended

by extension officials, scientists,

researchers and farmers.

DAE Director General Muhammad

Asadullah addressed the function as the

chief guest, while Additional Director Sirajul

Islam was in the chair.

Director of the project Dr SM Hasanuzzaman

welcomed the participants.

DAE Deputy Directors Shamsul

Wadud, Nazrul Islam and Abdul Awal

also spoke. In his remarks, Muhammad

Asadullah said Bangladesh is now a role

model in fruits and vegetables production

before the world.

The farmers will be benefited if they can

get scopes of preserving fruits and vegetables.

He clarified that preservation time of

fruits and vegetables can be enhanced by

one month through controlling only the

temperature.

"We have started setting up mini cold

storage on pilot basis and we can enhance

the number in future after assessing

results of those," he added.

In addition to the Shibpur Hat cold

storage, two other cold storages are being

established at Natore Sadar Upazila and

at Shibganj Upazila in Chapainawabganj

district on pilot basis for the first time in

the region.

The cold storages will help the farmers

protect their mangoes and other perishable

goods from being wasted for around

one month.

Project Director Dr SM Hasanuzzaman

told the meeting that construction works

of two other storages are expected to be

completed within the shortest possible

time.

He said the five-year project is being

implemented in 67 Upazilas of all eight

districts in the division at a cost of around

Taka 147.03 crore since January, 2020.

Upon successful implementation by

December, 2024, the project will help

increase cropping intensity to 242 percent

from 237 percent through expansion

of modern agriculture technologies.

tueSDAY, SepteMber 28, 2021

9

Guardiola and Messi meet again

as PSG take on Man City

Messi has played just three games for his new club and is yet to

score.

photo: Ap

SportS DeSk

There was a time when a reunion

between Lionel Messi and Pep

Guardiola looked distinctly possible,

but on Tuesday they will be on opposite

sides again when Paris Saint-Germain

play Manchester City in the Champions

League, reports BSS.

Had it not been for Jack Grealish,

perhaps things would have turned out

differently.

City announced the o100 million

($139m) signing of Grealish from

Aston Villa on August 5, the same day

Barcelona revealed Messi would not be

staying at the Camp Nou.

A year ago, when Messi tried to force

his departure from Catalonia, City

appeared the most likely destination.

In the end Barcelona prevented the

six-time Ballon d'Or winner from

leaving then and 12 months later Messi

was prepared to stay put until it became

clear the financial mess at the Camp

Nou meant he could not. If City had

anticipated Messi becoming available,

they might have moved for him. But

instead they focused their sights on

Grealish and were trying to sign Harry

Rebic emerging

from Zlatan's

shadow as

Atletico await

SportS DeSk

Zlatan Ibrahimovic might

hog the headlines at AC

Milan but Ante Rebic has

quietly carved out a key role

for himself in the Rossoneri

attack despite stiff

competition from both

veteran stars and up-andcoming

talent, reports BSS.

Milan fans are preparing

for their first home

Champions League match in

over seven years with

Spanish champions Atletico

Madrid visiting the San Siro

on Tuesday night.

With ageing forwards

Olivier Giroud and

Ibrahimovic troubled by

injuries and the coronavirus

since the start of the season

Croatia attacker Rebic has

stepped into the breach up

front, shifting away from his

preferred position of winger

to give Milan a point around

which their younger

attacking talent can buzz.

A scorer so far this season

at Liverpool, where he gave

Milan their half- time lead,

and in a creditable 1-1 draw

at Juventus, the 28-year-old

also laid on Ibrahimovic's

only goal of the season in

their 2-0 swatting of Lazio

earlier this month.

His two goals add to the 11

he netted last season, all in

the second half of the league

campaign as Milan finished

second behind champions

Inter Milan, their highest

league placing since 2012,

when Ibrahimovic was in his

first spell at the seven-time

European champions.

This season Ibrahimovic

has only featured in the 24

minutes he played against

Lazio at the San Siro, and

with Giroud first being hit

with a bout of Covid-19 and

then a back problem Rebic

has happily taken on the

mantle of two prolific

international goalscorers.

Kane, a move that ultimately didn't

happen.

"Right now it is not in our thoughts,"

Guardiola said when asked if City

might move for Messi.

It says much about the modern

game that PSG were the only other

realistic destination for the 34-year-old

who Guardiola has described as the

greatest player of all time.

Messi has played just three games

for his new club and is yet to score. He

has sat out PSG's last two matches with

a knee problem but the feeling is that

Mauricio Pochettino has been saving

him for City. After being held 1-1 by

Club Brugge in their opening game,

PSG need a positive result against City

to stop their rivals taking control of

their Champions League group.

Messi will fancy opening his account

in Paris on such an occasion, and

Guardiola has already been on the

receiving end of the Argentine's genius

in Europe.

After Guardiola left Barcelona in

2012 at the end of four glorious years in

which he oversaw Messi's transition

from superstar in the making to the

best in the world, he faced his old club

for the first time in the Champions

League semi-finals in 2015.

Barcelona beat Guardiola's Bayern 5-

3 on aggregate on the way to winning

the trophy. Messi produced a sublime

performance to score two late goals in a

3-0 first-leg win at the Camp Nou that

effectively killed the tie.

The only other time the duo have

come up against each other was in the

group stage in 2016, just after

Guardiola arrived at City.

Messi scored a hat-trick as Barca won

4-0 at the Camp Nou and he then put

his side ahead in Manchester, but City

won 3-1.

This time the expectation is both City

and PSG will progress from their group

and both men are desperate to win the

Champions League again -- the last of

Messi's four titles came in 2015, while

Guardiola has not lifted the trophy

since Messi inspired Barcelona to a 3-1

win over Manchester United in the

2011 final.

While the world waits to see how

Messi's move to Paris turns out,

Guardiola

continues to regret the absence of a

prolific centre-forward as the final

piece of his jigsaw at City.

That was evident on Saturday when,

for all their chances, they were

restricted to a single goal by Gabriel

Jesus in a 1-0 win at Chelsea.

Prior to that Guardiola had spoken of

his regret at City's lack of a "weapon" up

front.

"The club needs in the next years a

striker. When it's not possible, it's not

possible, we move on with the fantastic

squad we have," he said.

PSG, of course, have more than one

such player. Kylian Mbappe has been

the top scorer in France in each of the

last three seasons.

Messi left Barcelona as their all-time

top scorer with 672 goals in 778

appearances.

His peak at the Camp Nou came in

Guardiola's final season there, in 2011-

12, when he scored an incredible 73

goals. Nobody knows Messi's game

better than Guardiola, but nobody

knows better than Pep that there is no

stopping Messi when he is at the top of

his game.

Moeen Ali to announce

retirement from Test cricket

SportS DeSk

Moeen Ali, the England

allrounder, is set to

announce his immediate

retirement from Test cricket,

reports Cricinfo.

Moeen, 34 and a veteran of

64 Tests, has decided he no

longer has the hunger to play

the longest format. In

particular, ESPNcricinfo

understands he is

uncomfortable with the

prospect of an extended time

away from home in the

coming months as a likely

member of both the T20

World Cup and Ashes

squads. He is currently in the

UAE, playing for Chennai

Super Kings in the IPL but is

understood to have

informed Chris Silverwood,

the England head coach, and

Joe Root, England's Test

captain, in recent days.

He is keen to continue his

career for England in whiteball

cricket and is also

expected to continue to play

county and franchise cricket.

It seems unlikely he will

continue to play first-class

cricket but no firm decision

has yet been taken on that.

People will, no doubt, be

debating the merits of

Moeen's career for years to

come. Some of the statistics

are arresting: he reached the

landmark of 2000 Test runs

and 100 wickets, for

example, in fewer Tests than

Ian Botham, Garry Sobers

and Imran Khan. Only 15

England bowlers have taken

more Test wickets. At his

high point, he was rated the

third best allrounder in the

ICC's Test rankings.

But it's maybe fitting that

he looks set to finish just

short of 3000 runs and just

short of 200 wickets. For

there was something about

Moeen that always left you

wanting more. Something

that delighted and frustrated

in equal measure. Even in

Moeen Ali has played the last of his 64 tests for

england.

photo: Ap

what turned out to be his

final Test, when his skied

slog-sweep saw him

dismissed for 35, you could

feel the groan of

disappointment around The

Kia Oval. The will for Moeen

to succeed, to see his elegant

cover drive unfurled once

more, was immense.

Perhaps the fragility, the

sense that it could all end at

any moment, made it feel all

the more precious. At his

best, such as when he scored

four Test centuries in 2016,

he looked a fine batter more

than worth his place in the

side as a specialist. But there

were times, sometimes quite

extended times, when the

confidence seemed to drain

away and the scores

disappeared with it. A final

Test batting average of 28

seems modest for one so

talented. That unbeaten

innings of 108 against Sri

Lanka in his second Test

promised so much more.

Many of the same things

could be said about his

bowling. At his best, such as

when he took 25 wickets in

four Tests against South

Africa in 2017, or a haul of 32

wickets in six Tests against

Sri Lanka and West Indies in

the winter of 2018-19, he

demonstrated the drift, dip,

pace and bite that would

delight any offspinner. It is

telling that, of England

spinners, only Derek

Underwood and Graeme

Swann finished their careers

with more wickets. Even Jim

Laker couldn't match

Moeen's strike rate of 60.70.

On other occasions, such

as the Ashes tour of 2017-18,

when his five wickets came at

a cost of 115 apiece, he

seemed a man charged with

an impossible task. Nobody

else in the top 25 wickettakers

in England's Test

history has an average as

high as Moeen's 36.66. But

in a weak era of English spin

bowling, he answered the

call more capably than

anyone could have

predicted. Ultimately, it may

be concluded that he

overachieved with the ball

and underachieved with the

bat. The debate over whether

England coaxed the best out

of him will rumble on, too.

Certainly he was asked to

fulfil multiple roles - he

batted everywhere from No.

1 to No. 9 - to accommodate

the demands of more valued

players.

US young guns

overwhelm

Europe in

Ryder Cup rout

SportS DeSk

The United States crushed

Europe 19-9 to recapture the

Ryder Cup on Sunday in a

performance captain Steve

Stricker called the "greatest

of all time, reports BSS

Collin Morikawa, the 24-

year-old world number

three, delivered the winning

half point when he tied his

match with Viktor Hovland

at Whistling Straits.

He was one of eight 20-

somethings on a US team

that featured nine players in

the world's top 11 -- all

gunning to regain the

coveted trophy won by

Europe in France three years

ago.

"Speechless," US captain

Steve Stricker said, tearing

up as he talked of the

commitment that resulted in

dominant victory.

The Americans became

the first team to notch 19

points, beating the previous

record of 18.5 achieved twice

by each team before.

"This is the greatest team

of all time right here,"

Stricker said. "These guys

are unbelievable.

"They come with a lot of

passion, a lot of energy, a lot

of game. They are just so

good."

World number two Dustin

Johnson, at 37 the oldest

member of the team,

provided a template for his

younger colleagues, his 1-up

victory singles victory over

Paul Casey giving him a

perfect 5-0 record in a

maximum five matches.

He became the first

American since Larry

Nelson in 1979 -- and just

the fifth player ever -- to go

five-for-five when he

prevailed in a tightly

contested battle with Casey

that saw them tie the first

five holes.

Johnson took the lead for

good at the eighth, but he

never led by more than two

and couldn't put Casey away

until the bitter end. Johnson

said he shared a key trait

with his young teammates in

that fueled their bid to stop

Europe winning a fifth

Ryder Cup in six editions.

Real Madrid liberated by Ancelotti

return but tougher tests await

SportS DeSk

Carlo Ancelotti called it his "honeymoon

period" at Real Madrid and club and coach

want to enjoy it while it lasts, reports BSS.

Madrid face Sheriff Tiraspol on Tuesday

in the Champions League on the back of a 1-

0 win away at Inter Milan that already

appears to have put Ancelotti's team in

charge of Group D. And Madrid have started

fast in Spain too, after five wins and two

draws have taken them to the top of La Liga,

three points clear of Atletico Madrid and five

ahead of Barcelona. Ancelotti was asked on

Friday when the honeymoon period would

end after Madrid's 6-1 thrashing of

Mallorca."When it's going to end, I'll tell you

but so far, I'm fine," he said. It is not just the

results that have lifted the mood, after a

summer that began with Atletico winning

the title and ended with Real Madrid making

around 50 million euros in profit from the

transfer window and failing to sign Kylian

Mbappe. It is the performances that have

excited the fans and given some freshness to

a squad that appeared to have grown stale

under Zinedine Zidane last season.

Zidane's success at the helm was historic

but his style, whenever it was possible to

identify one, was cautious, prioritising

defensive solidity, honed from his years at

Juventus under Marcelo Lippi, over

attacking exuberance. Ancelotti has taken

the handbrake off and the result has been

younger players flourishing and the goals

flying in.

Real Madrid have scored 21 in seven La

Liga games this season, a total that has been

spread across eight different players

including Karim Benzema, Vincius Junior,

Marco Asensio, Eduardo Camavinga, Gareth

Bale, Dani Carvajal and Nacho Fernandez.

Benzema has eight of them, as well as

seven assists, the Frenchman enhancing his

claim to be Lionel Messi's heir as the best

player in La Liga and perhaps even the best

all-round striker now in the world.

While Benzema's displays are nothing

new, the likes of Vinicius and Asensio have

exploded into life under Ancelotti, with

Asensio scoring a hat- trick against Mallorca

in midweek and Vinicius discovering a more

clinical edge that had been previously so

lacking in his career.

The 18-year-old Camavinga is already a

fans' favourite. "Camavinga has no pressure,

his character is like that, he is very cheerful,

he gets along well with his teammates, he

tries to learn Spanish quickly," said

Ancelotti. "It is the freshness of youth."When

Ancelotti's arrival was confirmed, some were

disappointed Madrid had not been bolder,

accusing the club of choosing a safe option

instead of a more ideological coach in the

mould of Thomas Tuchel, Julian

Nagelsmann or Pep Guardiola.The success

of the attack has even made Ancelotti

nervous, with a greater focus on the defence

contributing to a goalless draw against

Villarreal on Saturday.

"To be honest we have been focusing a lot

on the defensive area because it was the

aspect that needed the most improvement,"

said Ancelotti. But while greater challenges

lie ahead, the merits of his appointment have

so far been clear, with Real Madrid enjoying

the freedom that comes with reduced

expectations and the emergence of youth.

"My relationship with the club is very good

at the moment, it is a honeymoon period for

me," said Ancelotti this week.

"We will have less brilliant moments, but

my respect for this club will always be there,

for what this club represents, the president,

the fans. More complicated moments will

come but we will have a good time."

Chinese swimmers break Asian,

national records within 5

minutes at National Games

Ajax star Haller takes to Champions

League in style

SportS DeSk

SportS DeSk

Forget Lionel Messi or Cristiano

Ronaldo, the real star of the opening

round of games in this season's

Champions League was Sebastien

Haller, who scored four times for Ajax

in their 5-1 thumping of Sporting in

Portugal, reports BSS.

It was a remarkable Champions

League debut for the 27-year-old Ivory

Coast striker, the first player to score

four goals in his maiden appearance in

European football's flagship club

competition since Marco van Basten

for AC Milan against IFK Goteburg in

1992.

"I remember when Marco van Basten

did it, and he is one of the greatest

players in the history of the game," said

Ajax coach Erik ten Hag.

"That proves how historic a

performance it is from Sebastien, but it

is also a reflection of his qualities.

"It's not just his physique but also his

positioning and his finishing, and you

also need to be really strong mentally to

be able to do that."

Haller's first two goals in Lisbon

came from inside the six-yard box in

the opening nine minutes. He added

two more in the second half from a

fraction further out.

That poaching ability is exactly why

Ajax spent 22.5 million euros ($27.5m)

to bring Haller back to the Netherlands

from West Ham United in January, but

Haller had something of an

inauspicious start to his career in

Amsterdam.

Ajax somehow forgot to register

their new recruit for last season's

Europa League knockout phase. Had

he been available they might have

beaten Roma in the quarter-finals.

Instead they went out.

Haller did score 11 times in the

Eredivisie in the second half of last

Two swimming records were broken within

five minutes to the applauding audience at

the 14th Chinese National Games here on

Sunday evening, reports BSS.

Yu Hexin of Guangdong broke his own

national record to claim the men's 50m

freestyle title in 21.68 seconds, before

teammate Liu Xiang touched home first in

the women's 50m freestyle in 23.97 seconds,

refreshing her own Asian record of 24.03

Sebastien Haller, who scored four times for Ajax in their 5-1

thumping of Sporting in portugal.

photo: Ap

season as Ajax romped to the title.

And he has started this season

averaging a goal a game in an Ajax team

that can't stop scoring -- their first six

Eredivisie outings featured three 5-0

wins and one 9-0 victory.

It is something of a turnaround in

fortunes for a player who cost West

Ham a club record o45 million (50

million euros) from Eintracht

Frankfurt in 2019 but scored just 10

times in 48 Premier League games.

He previously starred in Frankfu.rt

alongside the likes of Ante Rebic and

Luka Jovic, who went on to AC Milan

and Real Madrid respectively.

Before that Haller made his name in

the Dutch league at Utrecht, scoring

over 50 goals in three years, so Ajax

knew exactly what they were getting.

Meanwhile France, even with such

attacking strength in depth, might

regret missing out.

Haller was born and brought up in

seconds and defeating double Olympic gold

medalist Zhang Yufei of Jiangsu en route to

the gold. "The new record is a surprise to me.

I didn't think about the result before the

event. I kept telling myself that the result

wasn't important," said Liu in tears.

"I'd like to thank my coach for

accompanying me like a family member

all through my journey in swimming," the

25-year-old Liu added. "The result is a

recognition and reward for my years of

hard work."

the Paris suburbs and played for France

all the way up to Under-21 level.

However, having reached the age of

26 without getting the call from Didier

Deschamps, he opted to represent the

Ivory Coast instead when the country of

his mother's birth contacted him last

year. "There comes a time when you

need to make a decision, look at the

competition in your position and be

honest with yourself," he told So Foot

magazine last year of his decision.

"When I scored my first goal on my

first cap against Madagascar, it was

really something. I was so happy."

Haller recently scored both goals in

a World Cup qualifying win against

Cameroon and will hope to represent

the Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of

Nations in the new year. First he will be

hoping to keep his remarkable

Champions League goal- scoring

record going when Ajax host Besiktas

on Tuesday.

TuEsDAY, sEPTEMBER 28, 2021

10

TBT REPORT

Dhallywood young actress and

model Prarthana Fardin Dighi

has won Bangladesh National

Film Award for Best Child

Artiste three times for the films

'Kabuliwala', 'Ek Takar Bou',

'Chachchu Amar Chachchu'.

Dighi in new movie 'Manob Danob'

She made her debut as a

heroine few days ago with two

films titled 'Tumi Acho Tumi

Nei' and 'Tungipara'r Miya

Bhai'. Her performance in the

film titled 'Tungipara'r Miya

Bhai' has been highly praised.

Currently the actress is acting

in Bangabandhu's biopic.

This time she has signed a

contract for a film titled

'Manob Danob' opposite

Indian Bengali film actor from

Kolkata Bonny Sengupta.

Bazlur Rashed Chowdhury will

direct the movie which will

produced under Shapla Media.

Regarding her new film and

acting with Bonny, Dighi said,

'I have learnt that the shooting

of the movie will start in

Bangladesh from October. I

still don't know where the rest

of the shooting will be. Bonny is

a very good actor. I hope it will

be a great job. Regarding the

movie, director Bazlur Rashed

Chowdhury said, 'The movie is

being made based on the story

of "Jelepara".

Acting is more important

than glamour here. Bonny and

Dighi will be perfect fit for it. I

think they will give their best

performance by understanding

the depth of the character.

BTV to celebrate

PM Sheikh Hasina's

75th birthday

TBT REPORT

BTV will air a series of special programmes to celebrate the 75th

birth anniversary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today. A show

titled "Deshratna Sheikh Hasina" will air on today at 9 pm, reads a

press release. It will consist of exciting arrangements, including

drama, dance, recitation and book reading.

Moreover, 64 children from 64 districts will greet the prime

minister from one platform. Around 19 children will also cut a cake.

Child artists will voice multiple songs including "Aloamaralo".

Tamanna Rahman and her team will showcase a dance

performance on the poem "Bidrohi" voiced by Nila Rahman.

Veteran actor and MP Asaduzzaman Noor will recite poetry on

the programme. BTV will also air a special talk show titled

"Tarunner Chokhhe Sheikh Hasina", hosted by noted actor

Ferdous Ahmed.

State Minister for Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed

Palak, Mashrafe bin Mortaza (MP), actor Tarin Jahan and

writer and media activist Sheikh Saadi will participate in the

discussion of the talk show. Alongside documentaries, talk

shows, concerts, exclusive programmes on democracy, youth

and success will be aired on BTV, said Program and Managing

Director of BTV Jagdish Esh.

Sabrina Bashir

receives Golden

Jubilee Award 2021

TBT REPORT

Singer Sabrina Bashir has

received Golden Jubilee

Award 2021 as best singer.

Lawmaker

Moshiur

Rahman

Ranga handed

over the award

to the singer at

a simple

ceremony held

at hotel in the

capital

recently.

United

Movement for

Human

Rights, a

nonprofit organisation,

arranged the ceremony

marking the golden jubilee of

country's independence.

Mirror Magazine's Vice

President and organiser of the

progamme Mala Khandokar,

were, among others, attended

the programme. Actors

Shabnam

Bubly, Nirab,

model Bulbul

Tumpa, singer

TamannaProme

and others

media

personality also

have received

Golden Jubilee

Award 2021.

Sabrina Bashir

is a promising

singer of the

country. She

has released

many songs in her career.

Recently she has released a

cover song titled

'JoleGiyachilamShoi', which is

getting huge response.

'Escape The Undertaker' trailer

brings WWE to Netflix

The letter Rekha wrote to Aishwarya

Rai : 'With love, Rekha ma'

Not many know that Aishwarya Rai

Bachchan and Rekha share a warm bond.

The two actors have a relationship of

mutual respect, so much so that Aishwarya

calls the senior actor 'RekhaMaa'.

When Aishwarya completed 20 years in

the Hindi film industry, Rekha had

penned her a beautiful letter where she

complimented Aishwarya for the dignity

and grace with which she has carried

herself in the industry. The actor also said

that the role in which she most admires

Aishwarya is as the mother to daughter

Aaradhya. The letter came ahead of

Aishwarya's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and was

published in Femina.

The complete letter written by Rekha to

Aishwarya…

My Ash,

A woman like you who is in harmony

with her spirit is like a flowing river, never

stagnant. She goes where she wants to

without pretence; and arrives at her

destination prepared to be herself and only

herself. People may forget what you said,

they may also forget what you did but they

will never forget how you made them feel.

You are a living example that courage is

the most important of all the virtues

because without courage, you can't

practice any other virtue consistently!

Your deep strength and pure energy

introduces you even before you speak! The

wisest thing you did was to be present with

the 'present' with gratitude. You pursued

the things you loved doing, and then did

them so well that people can't take their

eyes off you! You on your own are enough

with nothing to prove to anyone. Life is not

measured by the number of breaths we

take but by the moments that take our

breath away.

You've come a long way, baby. Having

endured many hurdles, like the phoenix

you rise! And I cannot pen down in words

how proud I am of that little 'cool' moonfaced

girl who took my breath away the

very instant I first laid my eyes on her. You

always gave better than the best to all the

roles you were bestowed with but my most

cherished character of yours is the role of

the complete 'Amma' that you are, to the

little bundle of pure joy called Aaradhya.

Keep loving and spreading your magic.

Two decades of Aishwarya Rai Bachchanwow!

Aashirwads and duas I wish for you

more goodness and blessings; much more

than your heart can contain!

Love you. Jeeteraho.Rekha Ma.'

Source: Deccan Chronicle

Netflix releases the trailer for

the upcoming interactive

movie, 'Escape The

Undertaker', inspired by the

infamous WWE villain. The

Undertaker first took WWE by

storm in the 1990's Survivor

Series as a part of the Million

Dollar Team. He emerged as a

star of his own as he fought

against Hulk Hogan. He

eventually took the title of

"Royal Rumble Match" winner

in 2007, and the heavy-weight

champion only retired recently

in November 2020.

Netflix just released the

trailer for the upcoming

interactive horror film starring

none other than The

Undertaker himself. The

Undertaker's urn also has a

starring role. While The

Undertaker values it for all of

the dark powers it has given

him over the years, The New

Day appears at his doorstep

and claim they want to add

positivity to the urn. Viewers

get to interact as these

characters and make decisions

that will impact the storyline.

Based on the sampling of

decisions featured in the

trailer, viewers will feel like

they're in a campy horror

movie filled with haunts from

The Undertaker and his urn.

This movie is the third

interactive movie to be

released by Netflix. The first

was a spinoff of 'Black Mirror'

titled 'Bandersnatch'. The

second was inspired by Tina

Fey's Netflix comedy, The

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,

titled Kimmy vs the Reverend.

Escape The Undertaker will

also be Netflix's first

collaborative interactive

movie. Source: Screen Rant

TUeSDAY, SePTeMBer 28, 2021

11

World Rabies

Day today

DHAKA : The World Rabies

Day 2021 will be observed

today in the country as

elsewhere across the globe in

a befitting manner.

This year's theme of the day

is "Rabies: Facts, Not Fear".

The World Rabies Day, a

global health observance,

started in 2007 to raise

awareness about rabies and

bring together partners to

enhance prevention and

control efforts worldwide.

The day is observed in many

countries, including the

United States.

President Md Abdul Hamid

and Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina in separate messages

wished the success of the

programmes of day and laid

emphasis on creating

awareness among the people

to eliminate rabies from the

country.

In his message, the

President said rabies is a

deadly virus spread to people

from the saliva of infected

animals and rabies virus is

usually transmitted through a

bite especially by dog, jackal

and bat. If treatment is not

taken timely, rabies can be a

deadly disease, he added.

GD-1418 (5x3)

On the occasion of World Tourism Day, the Department of Tourism and

Hospitality Management, Dhaka University organized a day-long program

on Monday. Vice Chancellor of the University Prof. Dr. Mohammad

Akhtaruzzaman addressed the inaugural function as the chief guest at the

premises of the Faculty of Business Studies.

Photo : Courtesy

No one stays hungry in Bangladesh thanks

to Sheikh Hasina, says Info Minister

DHAKA : Information and Broadcasting

Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday

unveiled the cover of a photo album to

mark the 75th birthday of Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina.

Speaking on the occasion at the

Secretariat Hasan said that the country

has witnessed a phenomenal change

under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

"No one in the country now stays

hungry. The rate of poverty has come

down to 20 per cent from 40 per cent,"

the minister said highlighting the

economic development of the country.

He said watching from above Dhaka

and Chottagram cities look unfamiliar

because of huge development.

He further said that the rickshaw

pullers in Dhaka had no sandals on their

feet 20 years ago, and nowadays it's hard

to find people with bare foot or torn

cloths on the streets.

Fire Service changes

central control room

contact number

DHAKA : The contact

number of Dhakacentral

control room of the Fire

Service and Civil Defense

Directorate has been

changed, reports UNB.

The new contact number of

the central control room is-

02223355555, said a press

release of the directorate on

Monday. It urged all to use

the new contact number to

get services in case of fire,

other emergencies and all

official works.

Strong quake rattles

Greek island of Crete

ATHENS : A strong earthquake

with a preliminary magnitude of

5.8 struck the southern Greek

island of Crete Monday, sending

residents into the streets. There

was no immediate information

on injuries, but local media

reported some damage to

buildings in villages near the

epicenter, reports UNB. The

Athens Geodynamic Institute

said the quake struck at 9:17

a.m. local time (0617 GMT),

with an epicenter 246

kilometers.

Bangladesh going through a difficult

time after independence: Fakhrul

Shafiqul Islam (Shafiq)

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has

said that the Awami League (AL) government has made the

entire administration partisan. He said that one by one

they have destroyed all the institutions of the state. This is

the worst time in Bangladesh. It has been 50 years since

Bangladesh became independent. We have never seen such

a bad time before. We have seen dictatorship. But we have

never seen in the past the horrible fascism that is

destroying the nation and all the achievements of the

nation. He made the remarks while addressing a memorial

meeting on the occasion of the 5th death anniversary of late

Brigadier General A S M Hannan Shah, a member of the

BNP Standing Committee, at the National Press Club

auditorium on Monday (September 27). BNP Standing

Committee members Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra

Roy, BNP chairperson's adviser Aman Ullah Aman, Abdus

Salam, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir

Rizvi and Hannan Shah's son Riazul Hann also spoke at the

meeting chaired by BNP organizing secretary Fazlul Haque

Milon.

Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, today people cannot

speak, no one dares to speak. I went to a restaurant for tea

yesterday (Sunday). After I left, everyone came running,

those whom we call hotel servant. They come and say, Sir,

some of us live in Gazipur, some in Bhola and some in

Rajshahi. None of us can stay in the area. We have fled

under false accusations and the oppression of the Awami

League. This situation has started in Bangladesh now. Such

incidents are not one or two. You will see almost

everywhere the boys of our Chhatra Dal, Juba Dal and even

the old people of BNP are not able to stay in the area.

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mnKvix

GD-1415 (8x3)

Bangladesh can sign FTA with Thailand

to boost trade: Thai envoy

DHAKA : Newly appointed

Thai ambassador to

Bangladesh Makawadee

Sumitmore has called for

signing Free Trade Agreement

(FTA) between Bangladesh and

his country to create more trade

and investment opportunities

between the two countries,

reports UNB.

He made the call when the

Board of Directors of the

Bangladesh Thai Chamber of

Commerce and Industry

(BTCCI) paid a courtesy call on

her at the Thai Embassy on

Sunday.

The Bilateral chamber also

placed some proposals for

enhancing bilateral trade and

investment relationship

between Bangladesh and

Thailand, according to a press

release. BTCCI placed some

important issues including

making easier business policy

between the business

community, working jointly for

Thai Special Economic Zone in

Bangladesh, including more

duty free Bangladeshi products,

relocating labor intensive

industry in Bangladesh like

woven and textile Industry and

some potential industry like

power and energy, light

engineering, electric, food,

handicrafts and other effective

bilateral activities.

The Thai ambassador

thanked the board of Directors

to come forward for the

discussion of bilateral issues of

Bangladesh and Thailand and

emphasized on the ways and

means to promote bilateral

trade and investment such as

signing a free trade agreement,

development of ports in

Thailand's Andaman coast to

shorten sea transport route to

Bangladesh, and the possibility

to co-organize events to

celebrate the 50th anniversary

of diplomatic relations next

year.

E-poster published

on PM's birthday

DHAKA : An e-poster has

been published at the

initiative of the Father of the

Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's

Birth Centenary Celebration

National Implementation

Committee marking Prime

Minister Sheikh Hasina's

75th birthday.

The specially designed

poster is titled, "Father has

given the independent

homeland, Daughter has

given the light", said a press

release.The national

implementation committee

has requested all to spread

the e-poster widely in

electronic, online and social

media on behalf of the

committee to celebrate the

birth centenary of Father of

the Nation Bangabandhu

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

GD-1417 (7x3)

S(21)(275)

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Tuesday, Dhaka: September 28, 2021; Ashwin 13, 1428 BS; Safar 20, 1443 Hijri

Tourism industry cares

less about heath rules as

business recovers from gloom

DHAKA : As tourism gains momentum

in business after relaxation of Covid

restrictions, the few health protocols still

in force are being completely ignored in

violation of the conditions imposed by

the government.

One of those protocols for the hotel

authorities at the famous tourism spots

was to keep 50 per cent of the accommodation

empty. But it is being highly disregarded

by the management of hotels and

motels. Taufiq Rahman, Secretary

General of Pacific Asia Travel Association

(PATA) Bangladesh Chapter, said it's hard

for hotel authorities to follow the health

rules even if they wish to because of the

onrush of tourists at the spots soon after

the mass unlocking.

"A strict monitoring by the local government

on how many tourists can visit

a spot at a time may ensure the compliance

of the government's direction, "suggested

Taufiq. Apparently health guidelines

have already become a myth in

Cox's Bazar, one of the most frequented

tourism spot in the country with 500 t0

600 hotels and motels. President of Tour

Operator Association of Bangladesh

(TOAB) Rafiuzzaman said crowding of

in open places can't actually be controlled

or monitored.

"In our meetings we are asking operators

to operate tours maintaining health

guidelines. But most tourists go personally

and they don't actually care much

about those rules ,"said the president of

TOAB.

Regarding keeping 50 per cent accommodation

vacant, Rafiuzzaman said

though the five star or standard hotels

are maintaining the guideline small

hotels are taking full bookings.

"You have to book rooms a few days

before going as all the good hotels are

booked in Cox's Bazar due to a swarming

number of tourists," a tourist who

recently returned from Cox's Bazar told

this UNB reporter. The direction to run

hotel with half the capacity was hardly

seen being maintained as the pressure of

tourists was huge, he said.

Meanwhile Cox's Bazar District

Commissioner Mamunur Rashid

claimed that the maintaining of health

guideline and sparing of 50 per cent

rooms are strictly being monitored with

the assistance of hotel association and

tourist police.

Considering the livelihood and economic

woes of the country's tourism sector,

all the tour destinations have been

reopened with a notification of guidelines

for the hotel, motel and tourism

centre authorities, said state Minister for

Civil Aviation and Tourism Mahbub Ali.

Regarding the defiance, the minister

said the local government has been

monitoring the compliance of the rules

and if needed it is directed to conduct

mobile courts as part of strict measures.

"Our decision has been that the local

government will coordinate with public

representatives, volunteers, scouts and

other stakeholders in running awareness

campaigns for the tourist to follow the

Covid rules," he said.

Like every year in early winter vegetable cultivation, the farmers of Bogura have started cultivating different vegetables

in the hope of making more profit. Compared to the last few years, this time the farmers have cultivated different

vegetables in much more land. Among them, cauliflower, cabbage, beans and radishes have started coming to

the market at very high prices. Yunus Ali, a 78-year-old spraying pesticide at his radish field. Photo : TBT

999 call : Coast Guard rescues 15

stranded fishermen from sea

DHAKA : Bangladesh Coast Guard rescued

15 fishermen who had been stranded

on a trawler for three days in the Bay of

Bengal after receiving a call from the

National Emergency Service 999 on

Sunday, reports UNB.

The trawler with the fishermen was

adrift in the sea about 15-20 km south-east

of Bhasan Char after an engine failure on

Thursday. It sailed from Noakhali's Hatia

on September 20.

On Sunday afternoon one of the stranded

fishermen named Jewel called 999 for

help on the third day of their plight soon

after network his mobile got back network.

He also informed about their location.

The SOS was immediately relayed to the

control of the coast guard as well as their

team at Bhsan Char, which rushed to rescue

the fishermen. Bhasanchar Coast

Guard JCO Shafiq, a member of the rescue

team, confirmed the rescue operation..

The rescued fishermen were later

brought to Bhasan Char, he added.

Fire Service changes

central control room

contact number

DHAKA : The contact number of

Dhakacentralcontrol room of the

Fire Service and Civil Defense

Directorate has been changed,

reports UNB.

The new contact number of the

central control room is-

02223355555, said a press release of

the directorate on Monday. It urged

all to use the new contact number to

get services in case of fire, other

emergencies and all official works.

Robotics should

be prioritized to

build digital

economy : Palak

DHAKA : Since building a 'Digital

Economy' is a must for implementing

Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina's Vision 2041, State

Minister for ICT Division Zunaid

Ahmed Palak on Monday said

robotics should be given priority to

attain the target.

"Our target for the days to come

is building a smart nation through

building a 'Digital Economy' and a

knowledge based society," he said.

The ICT state minister made the

remarks while addressing the closing

ceremony of 'the 4th

Bangladesh Robot Olympiad 2021'

virtually as the chief guest, said a

press release.

Noting that Sheikh Hasina

Institute for Frontier Technologies

is being set up to grow up the next

generation with skills to face the

Fourth Industrial Revolution,

Palak said, 300 schools of the

future are being set up in the country

to teach about robotics, which

would be launched from 2022.

ICT Division Senior Secretary

NM Zeaul Alam, Dhaka University

(DU) Pro Vice Chancellor (academic)

Professor Dr ASM Maksud

Kamal and Professor of DU

Computer Science and

Engineering Department Dr Hafiz

Mohammad Hasan Babu

addressed the function, among

others.

Bangladesh Computer Council

(BCC) Executive Director Dr Md

Abdul Mannan presided over the

closing ceremony.

28-09-2021

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